Aandonga demand to see their king
Hundreds of Ondonga community members will camp at their ailing traditional leader's house this weekend, demanding to see him.
Hundreds of Ondonga community members are planning a three-day vigil at the traditional authority's palace at Onamugundo this weekend where they will demand to be addressed by King Immanuel Kauluma Elifas.
One of the organisers of the meeting, Pendapala Nakathingo, said the gathering would be peaceful and all they wanted was to hear from their traditional leader, whom they had not seen in a while.
The ailing king has already been dragged to court by his former top aides whom he got rid of after a fallout over the royal succession.
The infighting stems from the succession race, which took a major twist in April this year after Elifas denounced his supposed successor, Fillemon Nangolo Shuumbwa, even though he had written to the Ministry of Rural and Urban Development in 2002 naming Shuumbwa as his successor.
In July this year Elifas ordered the dismissal of senior traditional councillors including former traditional authority chairperson Peter Kauluma and former spokesperson Joseph Asino.
Four councillors were also given their marching orders by Elifas.
They include senior headman John Walenga and former Oshikoto governor Vilho Kamanya, while three other councillors - Kashona kaMalulu, Tonata Ngulu and Fillemon Nambili – have also been dismissed.
A faction close to the king's wife has been accused of capitalising on his poor health to suspend and fire councillors.
The lawyers representing the fired councillors have particularly questioned the signature stamp used by the traditional authority in their correspondence announcing the firing and hiring of new councillors.
According to Nakathingo, the planned gathering was given the go-ahead at a public meeting organised by the fired councillors last month at Oluno.
“We are going with our bedding and the gathering will start on Friday at the open space outside the palace,” said Nakathingo.
“On Friday evening we will assemble around the fire to caucus on the current issues happening in Ondonga. On Saturday we are expecting to be addressed by the king and on Sunday there will be a mass church service before we go back home.”
Nakathingo said they will demand to hear from Elifas whether he was truly behind the suspension and subsequent removal of the senior traditional leaders.
“If he comes we expect him to tell us that he is the one who fired the council and if he cannot address us it is clear that he is not in the state to address masses and make decision as alleged,” he said. Meanwhile, Nampa reports that a faction of the Ondonga community claimed on Saturday that Elifas had been removed from the palace and taken to the Mangetti area of the Oshikoto Region, where he owns a cattle farm.
According to Nampa the faction spokesperson, Kennedy Iilonga, alleged the family removed Elifas from his Onamungudo palace on 26 August.
“They removed omukwaniilwa (king) from ombala (palace) and went to hide him at Mangetti, so that the people who have planned to go see him on the 8th of this month cannot do so,” Iilonga was quoted as saying.
The traditional authority's spokesperson, Naeman Amalwa, dismissed the allegation.
“They are lying with the purpose of deliberately misleading this nation,” Amalwa said, adding that Elifas undertook a routine visit to his farm just like other ordinary farmers do.
He also denied that Elifas is ailing and not in a position to make decisions.
“He is just old,” he said.
Amalwa declined to comment on the planned gathering this weekend, saying they would issue a statement in due course.
ILENI NANDJATO
One of the organisers of the meeting, Pendapala Nakathingo, said the gathering would be peaceful and all they wanted was to hear from their traditional leader, whom they had not seen in a while.
The ailing king has already been dragged to court by his former top aides whom he got rid of after a fallout over the royal succession.
The infighting stems from the succession race, which took a major twist in April this year after Elifas denounced his supposed successor, Fillemon Nangolo Shuumbwa, even though he had written to the Ministry of Rural and Urban Development in 2002 naming Shuumbwa as his successor.
In July this year Elifas ordered the dismissal of senior traditional councillors including former traditional authority chairperson Peter Kauluma and former spokesperson Joseph Asino.
Four councillors were also given their marching orders by Elifas.
They include senior headman John Walenga and former Oshikoto governor Vilho Kamanya, while three other councillors - Kashona kaMalulu, Tonata Ngulu and Fillemon Nambili – have also been dismissed.
A faction close to the king's wife has been accused of capitalising on his poor health to suspend and fire councillors.
The lawyers representing the fired councillors have particularly questioned the signature stamp used by the traditional authority in their correspondence announcing the firing and hiring of new councillors.
According to Nakathingo, the planned gathering was given the go-ahead at a public meeting organised by the fired councillors last month at Oluno.
“We are going with our bedding and the gathering will start on Friday at the open space outside the palace,” said Nakathingo.
“On Friday evening we will assemble around the fire to caucus on the current issues happening in Ondonga. On Saturday we are expecting to be addressed by the king and on Sunday there will be a mass church service before we go back home.”
Nakathingo said they will demand to hear from Elifas whether he was truly behind the suspension and subsequent removal of the senior traditional leaders.
“If he comes we expect him to tell us that he is the one who fired the council and if he cannot address us it is clear that he is not in the state to address masses and make decision as alleged,” he said. Meanwhile, Nampa reports that a faction of the Ondonga community claimed on Saturday that Elifas had been removed from the palace and taken to the Mangetti area of the Oshikoto Region, where he owns a cattle farm.
According to Nampa the faction spokesperson, Kennedy Iilonga, alleged the family removed Elifas from his Onamungudo palace on 26 August.
“They removed omukwaniilwa (king) from ombala (palace) and went to hide him at Mangetti, so that the people who have planned to go see him on the 8th of this month cannot do so,” Iilonga was quoted as saying.
The traditional authority's spokesperson, Naeman Amalwa, dismissed the allegation.
“They are lying with the purpose of deliberately misleading this nation,” Amalwa said, adding that Elifas undertook a routine visit to his farm just like other ordinary farmers do.
He also denied that Elifas is ailing and not in a position to make decisions.
“He is just old,” he said.
Amalwa declined to comment on the planned gathering this weekend, saying they would issue a statement in due course.
ILENI NANDJATO
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