‘Secret’ dealings divide Oukwanyama kingdom

• ELIASER NDEYANALE and EINO VATILENI A LACK of transparency is said to be dividing the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority.

This has allegedly led to six members of the authority resigning recently.

According to a senior traditional councillor, who spoke to The Namibian on condition of anonymity, the authoritys financial statements are not disclosed to councillors or members of Oukwanyama Queen Martha Nelumbus council.

The councillor said the authoritys income derives from subjects payments for their homesteads, cuca shops, and two fishing companies the traditional authority has stakes in.

These companies are said to be Queen Kaleinasho Fishing and Katuka Fishing.

The authority is also subsidised by the government.

“The authoritys financial position is not known … Even the money people pay for sand mining is not being used in the interest of the traditional authority,” the senior councillor claimed.

Retired ambassador Hadino Hishongwa, senior traditional councillor for the Omhedi district, said since he joined the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority in 2015, the traditional authority has not disclosed or discussed its financial position.

He said he does not know how much the traditional authority is subsidised with by the government.

“I dont know whether money is paid monthly or annually, but we get an allowance per month,” he said.

EXODUS

The six senior members of the traditional council who allegedly resigned, are Nelumbus advisers, including former Swapo parliamentarian Pashukuni Shoombe, former police commissioner Elias Haulyondjaba, and retired Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia bishop Apollos Kaulinge.

The rest are said to be Abed-Nego Nghifikua, Simon Moses, and Nelumbus private secretary, Dineinge Sheya.

The chairperson of the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority, George Nelulu, reportedly also resigned from this position.

He said he was tired of serving as chairperson.

Contacted for comment, both Kaulinge and Haulyondjaba said they resigned because of old age.

Moses refused to comment on his alleged resignation, while Sheya said he has resigned to concentrate on his doctoral studies at North-West University in South Africa.

Oukwanyama Traditional Authority spokesperson Andrew Naikaku said he was not aware of allegations of mismanagement or corruption.

He also said he did not know whether the queens advisers had resigned.

Nelulu said he is aware of the allegations of financial mismanagement, but he does not know where these claims come from.

“Money comes from the subjects, then it goes to the auditors. It is the auditors who collect the money every year and present it to the queens council,” he said.

On the alleged resignations, Nelulu said: “Those who are resigning have their own reasons. There was conflict in the traditional authority, and the reason may be that some are resigning because they dont want to be expelled.”

He urged his fellow councillors to not discuss matters outside of the council.

“Lets talk. We have a lot to discuss, including the issue of resignations of senior members of the traditional authority,” he said.

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