Member of parliament (MP) Julius Hamunyera Hambyuka, Kavango West governor Sirkka Ausiku and Swapo have been accused of interfering in the Ukwangali chieftainship succession saga.
This follows the ongoing tussle in the Ukwangali kingdom between chief Eugene Kudumo and Severinus Siteketa about who should lead the Vakwangali people.
Siteketa’s faction, led by Andreas Kamukwanyama has accused Hambyuka, the chairperson of the Ukwangali Traditional Authority, of occupying the seat illegally after Kudumo’s chieftainship was set aside by the High Court.
Kudumo was installed in April 2015 as chief of the Ukwangali after the death of headman Daniel Mpasi in December 2014.
This has been a bone of contention between the Kanuni royal family and the Mangondo family.
“The second decision of the first respondent, as made on 15 February 2017, to designate the third respondent as the chief of the Uukwangali traditional community and Uukwangali Traditional Authority is hereby reviewed and set aside, and such designation is declared as invalid and of no force or effect,’’ reads the High Court order delivered on 6 March 2019.
The High Court ruling has fuelled the feud between Kudumo and his uncle, Siteketa.
The same ruling instructed the royal families to restart the process.
“Hambyuka was made chief councillor by Kudumo ‘illegally’, and since the setting aside of Kudumo’s designation as hompa of the Ukwangali Traditional Community and Ukwangali Traditional Authority, Hambyuka too should refrain from carrying out any traditional activities, as there is no chiefs council in the Ukwangali community, just like there is no chief for the Ukwangali community,” Kamukwanya says.
He says Hambyuka is a member of parliament who by law should not involve himself in traditional affairs, yet he has been pushing for the “unlawful recognition” of Kudumo.
“It will be appreciated if the matter could be resolved without external interference and as directed by the courts . . . He ordered the Ukwangali Traditional Authority not to allow them to use the Ukwangali traditional hall,” he says.
He should know better as a lawmaker, Kamukwanya says.
“We are aware that the Kavango West Swapo office has been supporting him through the governor’s office . . .
“We can site one example where the Swapo presidential candidate was misled by the Swapo regional leadership and taken to Kudumo’s house, and a picture of him as hompa of the Kwangali Traditional Authority was paraded, sending a wrong message to the public and the presidential candidate,” he says.
The group is also accusing the Kavango West governor of refusing to sign Siteketa’s application.
“I count myself as a politician and a traditional leader and I know my limit. When I’m dealing with the traditional authority, it’s a traditional authority matter, and I have never appointed myself to be a chief council,” Hambyuka says.
He says a meeting was held on Saturday to update the community on the application process, which was then submitted to the governor’s office.
Swapo’s Kavango West coordinator, David Hipulwa, says the allegations levelled against Swapo’s leadership in the Kavango West region are unfounded.
He says the party’s regional leaders have met with Swapo presidential candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at the Nkurenkuru Town Council’s office to update her on the political and developmental aspects of the region.
“Our office has nothing to do with the programme of comrade Netumbo to the Kudumo palace, and nobody from our office took the party’s vice president to the palace.
“We have nothing to do with the battle for Ukwangali chieftainship as a party. We do not mix politics with traditional matters,” Hipulwa said on Tuesday.
Questions emailed to Ausiku on Saturday were not answered. When called yesterday, she could not answer questions since she was attending a burial.
