Sankwasa slams chieftaincy court battles
Increasing trend worrying, minister says
The urban and rural development minister has criticised a growing reliance on the legal system over customary approaches.
Urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa has expressed concern over a growing trend of resolving chieftaincy succession disputes through the courts.
He warned that this undermines the core values of African culture and traditional leadership.
Speaking at a belated independence celebration in Mukwe constituency, Kavango East, over the weekend, Sankwasa called for a return to customary approaches and questioned whether salaries have fuelled an increase in succession disputes.
“Is it because the government is paying leaders now, and everyone wants a salary? Should we go back to the old way, where chiefs were honoured by their communities, not by a pay cheque?” he asked.
Sankwasa stressed that traditional leaders should be chosen based on customs, not court decisions. "If you want to be a chief, ask yourself whether you are doing it the traditional way. If not, step aside because you won’t succeed,” he warned.
The minister's remarks come amid a growing reliance on the legal system to determine leadership within Namibian traditional authorities. This shift has disrupted the long-standing practice of resolving chieftaincy disputes through community consensus and cultural customs.
Courtroom battles
Sankwasa pointed out the disconnect between traditional values and modern legal intervention, questioning how individuals can be declared chiefs by a court when they were not elected or nominated by their community.
"Chieftainship is now being decided in courts. Your people didn’t elect you, they didn’t nominate you. So how can you be the chief?"
He urged communities to solve problems "traditionally, not through court papers."
In a related development, Sankwasa recently approved the designation of Gilbert Muhongo Mutwa as the new chief of the Masubia Traditional Authority, marking the end of a near four-year succession battle.
The VaGciriku community remains embroiled in a similar dispute, with two candidates contesting the chieftaincy. Despite a court order halting the coronation of one of the candidates, the ceremony went ahead, complicating the situation.
He warned that this undermines the core values of African culture and traditional leadership.
Speaking at a belated independence celebration in Mukwe constituency, Kavango East, over the weekend, Sankwasa called for a return to customary approaches and questioned whether salaries have fuelled an increase in succession disputes.
“Is it because the government is paying leaders now, and everyone wants a salary? Should we go back to the old way, where chiefs were honoured by their communities, not by a pay cheque?” he asked.
Sankwasa stressed that traditional leaders should be chosen based on customs, not court decisions. "If you want to be a chief, ask yourself whether you are doing it the traditional way. If not, step aside because you won’t succeed,” he warned.
The minister's remarks come amid a growing reliance on the legal system to determine leadership within Namibian traditional authorities. This shift has disrupted the long-standing practice of resolving chieftaincy disputes through community consensus and cultural customs.
Courtroom battles
Sankwasa pointed out the disconnect between traditional values and modern legal intervention, questioning how individuals can be declared chiefs by a court when they were not elected or nominated by their community.
"Chieftainship is now being decided in courts. Your people didn’t elect you, they didn’t nominate you. So how can you be the chief?"
He urged communities to solve problems "traditionally, not through court papers."
In a related development, Sankwasa recently approved the designation of Gilbert Muhongo Mutwa as the new chief of the Masubia Traditional Authority, marking the end of a near four-year succession battle.
The VaGciriku community remains embroiled in a similar dispute, with two candidates contesting the chieftaincy. Despite a court order halting the coronation of one of the candidates, the ceremony went ahead, complicating the situation.
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