Mbanderu dispute rekindled

A SIMMERING leadership dispute in the Ovambanderu community, which started a year ago when Chief Munjuku Nguvauva died, was rekindled again over the weekend, when one group accused another of ‘illegally dividing up’ the belongings of the late chief among themselves, despite instructions from the High Court to refrain from such actions.

‘The group under my half-brother Kilus Nguvauva started to distribute belongings of my father on Saturday, which is in clear defiance of a letter the Master of the High Court in Windhoek sent to my mother, Aletha Nguvauva, last Thursday,’ Keharanjo Nguvauva complained to The Namibian yesterday.
He was inaugurated as Chief last year in August, although his half-brother Kilus, who was born from an earlier marriage, claims to have been selected as his successor. This is disputed by the ‘Concerned Group’ under Ovambanderu Traditional Councillor Erastus Kahuure, who pushed ahead with the installation of Keharanjo.
‘My father did not leave a will and the High Court has not appointed an executor or estate representative,’ Chief Keharanjo told The Namibian.
Chief Munjuku died on January 16 last year and received a state funeral ten days later to honour his personal involvement and that of his people in the liberation struggle.
‘Our office has been informed that the families and relatives of the deceased intend to distribute his assets in the absence of an appointed executor,’ the High Court wrote to the widow, Aletha Nguvauva, on Thursday.
‘The Master of the High Court has jurisdiction over all assets of the deceased within the borders of Namibia. Section 13 of the Administration Estate Act provides that no person shall liquidate or distribute the estate of any deceased person, except under letters of executorship granted or singed and sealed under the Act,’ the Master of the High Court added.
But Ngahahe Tjiposa, spokesperson of the Ovambanderu Traditional Authority, said it was customary to distribute the assets of a dead person one year after his death.
‘It was only cattle and nothing else,’ he told The Namibian yesterday afternoon.
‘Customary law is recognised alongside Government laws in Namibia,’ he pointed out.
He added that the Ovambanderu community will hold a big meeting this weekend in the Omaheke Region on the first anniversary of the late chief’s death.
A Mbanderu elder, Tuiiuane Tjozongoro-Kandjou, spoke from Ezorongondo, the Nguvauva homestead, yesterday and explained that the widow of the late chief, Aletha, was informed in advance about the distribution of the cattle.
‘She did not complain to us, which she could have done, but instead she turned to the Master of the High Court. Dividing the cattle after the death of a community member is done by the matrilinear clan and of the 25 cattle in Namibia and 16 cattle of the Chief in Botswana, the children of the widow received 19, the largest amount.
‘Out of these, young Keharanjo will get eight cattle. His half-brother Kilus, who is also Deputy Fisheries Minister, only inherited the sacred cow, because he already inherited the holy fire.’
It is hoped that the disputes will be discussed and ironed out at the meeting this weekend.