Afrikaner faction chooses new chief

A faction of the divided Oorlam-Afrikaner clan - /Hoa /Ara //Aixa //Aes - chose their chief over the weekend, just weeks after the rival faction elected their new chief. Over the weekend the clan's Supreme Authority - which is a merger of the Elders' Council and the Chiefs' Council - introduced Eduard Afrikaner as the successor to the late Kaptein Hendrina Martha Afrikaner, who died in a car accident in August 2011. The new chief emerged victorious following a comprehensive process of scrutiny where four candidates were nominated, of whom one had to be the eldest son of the late chief and now also claimant to the chieftaincy, Frank Afrikaner. "The three candidates [excluding Frank Afrikaner] who attended were subject to a stringent scrutiny regime to determine their genealogy and leadership qualities and leadership skills," said Petrus Olman on behalf of the authority. "The candidate with the overall best score emerged as the chief-elect and we are delighted to announce that Eduard Afrikaner came over the hurdles with distinction as the chief-elect. "The supreme authority had a rare honour of having two dignified and goal-oriented clergy as observers of the scrutiny process, Deputy Bishop Paul Kisting and Pastor Stefanus Tiboth." Olman, who is a senior councillor of the traditional authority, questioned why Frank Afrikaner did not allow himself to be processed like the other three candidates. "[Was it] because he knew the supreme authority is equipped with indisputable evidence that he does not have the tiniest drop of Oorlam Afrikaner blood in his veins?" he asked. He said claims that the late chief was a direct descendant of Jan Jonker Afrikaner are "far-fetched" and nothing but a "hoax". "Some people are Oorlam-Afrikaners by descent while other become such by virtue of being given the surname of a stepfather, the latter therefore falls under the category of commoner." Frank Afrikaner, who is backed by the Afrikaner Royal House, had questioned the legitimacy of the process he had to be part of during an earlier interview with Namibian Sun. "Since this community had a recognised chief from the royal bloodline, at a community meeting held at Koherab communal area on March 31 2012, it was resolved that I should become the next chief," he said. "A group of councillors want someone else so they created their own supreme authority outside the customary," he charged. "The supreme authority of the Afrikaner community consists of three arms: the traditional authority, the elders' council and the royal family, and they have all endorsed me as the successor," he said. But Olman questioned how "a descendent from hybrid mixture of some of the country's ethnic groups can claim to be the royal family of the Oorlam-Afrikaner." WINDHOEK ELVIS MURARANGANDA