Traditional Authorities Act is dividing Namibia, says Sankwasa

Minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa says the current Traditional Authorities Act is out-of-date and misunderstood, causing division in Namibia.

He made these remarks at the opening of a workshop held to discuss amendments to the act at Otjiwarongo on Monday.

“The implementation and misunderstanding of the current Traditional Authorities Act has divided various tribes into so many splinter groups,” Sankwasa said.

He gave the example of the definitions of chief and community leaders, saying the law does not clearly distinguish between the two, which has led each small group to desire recognition.

He said Namibia is becoming more divided due to the growing desire of various communities to move away from a central, cohesive system of traditional leadership rather than remain united.

“Every small group wants to become a recognised traditional authority.”

He added that the government will soon require traditional authorities to demonstrate why they represent distinct communities rather than districts or sub-traditional authorities.

“We cannot allow the continuation of such splitting or infighting between members of tribes to hinder community unity and development,” Sankwasa said.

The government is proposing amendments to the Traditional Authorities Act 25 of 2000 and the Council of Traditional Leaders Act of 1997.

The week-long workshop invites traditional authority leaders to provide input on the proposed amendments and Sankwasa called on those present to focus on governance and accountability.

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