Ambassador evicted from village home

Relatives of ambassador Bonny Haufiku were evicted from their home at Ohalushu in the Ohangwena Region on Tuesday, and the luxurious house is scheduled for demolition by his cousins, the Kaukungwa brothers.
Haufiku is Namibia’s ambassador to Finland and the village headman of Ohalushu.
In May the Windhoek High Court granted Joshua Kaukungwa an eviction order to evict Haufiku and his family, and gave him permission to demolish the house, which is on Kaugungwa’s land.
The issue went to court after the Oukwanyama traditional authority failed to solve the dispute after more than a decade.
In 2014, Haufiku approached the High Court, challenging the authenticity of a deed to the property in possession of his cousins, the brothers Joshua and Maxwilili Kaukungwa. The deed indicated that the late Seth Kaukungwa’s house at Ohalushu village belongs to Joshua Kaukungwa.


The late Seth was the Ohalushu village headman and was the father of Joshua and Maxwilili.
Joshua said the dispute started in 2006 when his father died and the Kaukungwa family inherited all his property, leaving his wife and nine children with nothing. To rub salt to the wound the Kaukungwa family and traditional authority, under the leadership of Omhedi district senior headman Johannes Moshana, wanted to give the late Seth’s homestead to Haufiku, who is his nephew.
“Before my father died he said his nephew Bonny must take over his village, while I must to take over his house. But the family and traditional authority were against this. Luckily, I was advised to pay the customary land and house fees so I got the land right documents from the lands ministry. I did so, but since I do not stay in the North due to my commitments in Windhoek, I decided the house could be in my younger brother Maxwilili’s care. The traditional authority was not happy with that,” Joshua explained.
He accused Haufiku of using his power as headman to influence the traditional authority to get the house from him. Haufiku turned to the High Court, saying the land was acquired illegally and the documents were forged.
Joshua said Haufiku owns a piece of land within his property which was given to him by his late uncle, Mzee Kaukungwa. Mzee was Seth’s brother, while Haufiku’s mother is Monika Kaukungwa.
“We did not have a problem with him having a house on that piece of land because our mother told us that the late Mzee had a shop there before he left the country to go into exile in the 1960s. The problem only came in when he wanted the whole piece of land and he took us to court. After losing his court case, we decided to evict him from our land,” Joshua continued.
On May 20 Judge Collins Parker granted an eviction order against Haufiku.
“First respondent (Haufiku) and all who hold title through him are evicted from the applicant’s (Joshua Kaugkungwa) premises, situated in Ohalushu village in the Omhedi district of Ohangwena Region. Respondent is compelled to remove all and any of his structures erected on the aforesaid premises within 30 days. Failing that, the applicant is authorised to remove the said structures and may recover the expenses associated therewith from first respondent,” Judge Parker said.
Haufiku was notified but did not take action, said Joshua. After 30 days he went back to court and a writ of eviction was issued on 22 July that gave him the power to forcibly remove Haufiku.
On Tuesday, when Haufiku’s family and belongings were removed from the house, he was at his post at the Namibian embassy in Finland. Questions sent to him via the line ministry were unanswered by the time of going to press.
ILENI NANDJATO