Sankwasa warns chiefs against ‘abuse of power’

Traditional leaders must act within the law and not abuse their authority, urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa said on Monday.“All leaders are required to exercise their decisions within the parameters of the law,” the minister said. “Therefore, we must avoid abusing power, because power abused will be contrary to the legislation and the requirements of common law.”Speaking at the 27th annual meeting of the Council of Traditional Leaders in Otjiwarongo, Sankwasa said 17 of Namibia’s 53 recognised traditional authorities currently have no chiefs.The latest figure follows years of concern over vacancies in traditional authorities. In September 2022, the then acting chairperson of the Council of Traditional Leaders, Gaob Immanuel |Gaseb reported that 16 of the 53 recognised traditional authorities had no chiefs, with 11 facing succession disputes.“The endless disputes among our traditional communities and endless applications by the communities who are continuously seeking for recognition of new traditional authorities … are destabilising the conducive environment our government has created for us,” |Gaseb said at the time.Some succession disputes have taken years to resolve.The Uukwangali Traditional Authority remained without a chief for over a decade after Daniel Sitentu Mpasi died in December 2014.Eugene Siwombe Kudumo was eventually recognised as chief in August 2025, following years of uncertainty and legal challenges.The Gciriku Traditional Authority has also faced a prolonged succession dispute since the death of Hompa Kassian Shiyambi in November 2019. In February, the High Court set aside a previous ministerial decision concerning Felix Mashika’s designation and ordered the matter to be reconsidered under Gciriku customary law.The disputes raise questions about how quickly leadership vacancies can be resolved and how competing claims affect the work of traditional authorities, including their role in communal land administration.

Sankwasa warns chiefs against ‘abuse of power’

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-21

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Sankwasa warns chiefs against ‘abuse of power’

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-21

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