THE annual Red Flag day commemoration last weekend at Okahandja was marred by violence between two opposing factions of the Ovaherero, reducing the annual event to a show-off between the two groups.
The wrangles between the groups – the OtjikaTjamuaha Royal House and the Ovaherero Traditional Authority (OTA) – led to the arrests of four people on Sunday.
Violence broke out between the two factions on Thursday after the royal house allegedly broke into the disputed erf 1755 to light the ‘holy fire’ in order to kick-start its commemoration festivities.
However, the OTA supporters came in numbers to force the royal house supporters out of the venue, forcibly putting out the holy fire, damaging property, and allegedly physically assaulting some royal house supporters.
The OtjikaTjamuaha Royal House leader, chief Tjinaani Maharero, was amongst those attacked, and had his cellphone smashed to the ground, allegedly by the opposing faction’s supporters.
Maharero filed a case (CR 121/8/2019) with the Namibian Police, claiming he knew the people who were assaulting him and damaging their properties.
“It is people we know. We know each other. They even assaulted me, and so I opened a case with the police, and they were arrested today [Sunday],” he added.
Maharero stated that restorative measures had to be undertaken to make sure that the royal house could still pay their respects to their ancestors.
On Sunday, the faction visited the graveyards where their ancestors lay, but were denied entry to the cemetery situated at a church at Okahandja as the OTA supporters claimed that no one by the surname of ‘Maharero’ or ‘Tjamuaha’ was buried at the site.
The police had to be roped in to maintain order, as the two factions came close to exchanging blows.
“I had told my people to back off, and not engage in the violence. We originally could not enter the graveyard anyway, we just wanted to view from the church,” chief Maharero said.
He added that erf 1755 belonged to the municipality and not to OTA, but OTA’s spokesperson, Bob Kandetu, disputed this, saying the land was still theirs.
Kandetu told that the Okahandja municipality was working on getting them another plot in exchange for erf 1755, but that this process has not been completed.
According to him, the plot remains theirs until the municipality services the plot that they are supposed to be given in exchange.
Tension continued between the two factions, as the OtjikaTjamuaha group and their supporters camped on a nearby plot for Sunday’s festivities, while the OTA supporters remained on erf 1755 to make sure the other group did not attempt to enter the premises.
A heavy police presence was visible during the entire weekend around both groups.
The Red Flag day commemoration has been celebrated annually on the weekend of 23 August since the 20th century.
This is the day when the remains of the late chief Samuel Maharero were returned for reburial at Okahandja in 1923.
It was since declared a day that would be celebrated annually, and allow for the Ovaherero and Ovambanderu committees to come together in unity and commemorate their ancestors.
This has not been the case since, with the two factions, both comprising Ovaherero and Ovambanderu people, celebrating the Red Flag day separately over the past few years.
OTA has since this year been holding their commemoration in July under a different emblem, whilst the Tjamuaha Royal House kept their celebrations on the original day.
The ongoing wrangles between the two factions exposed the government’s concern that escalating traditional squabbles had taken up much of the government’s time in mediation efforts.
Urban and rural development minister Peya Mushelenga earlier this month said the ministry was consumed by endless conflicts among members of traditional communities and royal families.
He said this at the Council of Traditional Authorities’ annual meeting at Gobabis, where president Hage Geingob also expressed concern about accommodating more applications for recognition as it leads to tribal divisions.
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