A REPRESENTATIVE of the indigenous people in the Kunene region, Tjikunda Kulunga, has appealed to the government to recognise the traditional leaders of minority groups.
In an interview with Nampa on the sidelines of the national land conference in Windhoek on Wednesday, Kulunga said some traditional leaders of the Ovatwe, Ovazemba and Ovahimba minority groups are not recognised by the government, which puts them at a disadvantage, particularly with regards to land management and allocation.
He said the lack of recognition means these leaders have no power over their areas of jurisdiction. Hence, other gazetted traditional leaders “do as they please in these areas”.
“This is a cause for consternation among the previously marginalised groups, and it is no dispute that these people have their land,” he stated.
Kulunga proposed that if the government cannot recognise these traditional leaders as this comes with a cost, it should pass a regulation that at least allows them to participate in and make decisions on their land. Some traditional leaders, particularly from within indigenous groups such as the San, Nama, Himba, Zemba and Twa are not recognised by the government.
These traditional leaders, who are attending the land conference, have also raised the issue of recognition in their presentations, saying that non-recognition by the government was the reason that their communities were landless, while others said they felt their rights on land issues were being ignored. The five-day conference started on Monday.
– Nampa
