Descendants of Hosea Kutako claim exclusion from memorial shrine unveiling ceremony

The descendants of chief Hosea Kutako claim they have been excluded from an unveiling ceremony of the chief’s memorial homestead.

The Memorial Museum and Homestead Shrine unveiling ceremony is scheduled to take place on Friday at Toasis in the Aminuis constituency, to commemorate Kutako’s role in Namibia’s liberation.

Kutako, who died in 1970, petitioned the United Nations (UN) to remove the then South West Africa from South Africa’s rule. He also founded the South West Africa National Union (Swanu).

Family spokesperson Kejamuina Mungendje says the Office of the President, which is organising the unveiling, invited a different clan of the family, despite his side of the family’s involvement with the shrine from the beginning.

He says N$4 million for the shrine was donated by a German organisation through the government.

The construction of the shrine was proposed by the late president Hage Geingob and the late paramount chief Vekuii Rukoro.

“Who told the president’s office to invite elders who have never signed an agreement with them?” Mungendje says.

Mungendje further says no formal agreement has been signed between the government and the family, despite countless requirements on how the memorial homestead, which is situated at the family home, will be managed.

“We asked for an [agreement] between the government and stakeholders to understand what will be required on how to manage this memorial site and how we will profit from it,” he says.

Presidential spokesperson Alfredo Hengari says president Nangolo Mbumba was not available to comment.

“The president is currently in the Zambezi region, officiating at the inauguration of the new facilities for the Department of Wildlife and Tourism Studies at the University of Namibia campus at Katima Mulilo,” says Hengari.

The late chief’s great grandson, Supii Kutako, says more than N$4 million was set aside to construct the memorial homestead.

“First, N$4 million was set aside, then we heard more money was required to complete the construction. The German aid [came] and then [it was] constructed by the government,” he said.

However, Supii claims he is unable to inherit the homestead, despite being next in line, because he is part of Hoze Riruako’s faction of the Ovaherero Traditional Authority (OTA).

“Why are people taking over a memorial homestead given by the government that should be open to the public?”

Mungendje is Hosea Kutako’s great great great grandson.

Mungendje says an agreement between the government and stakeholders should determine who will be in charge of the memorial homestead to avoid future disagreements.

He further says the government did not stick to an agreement to informing them a month prior to the ceremony, so that family members from Botswana and South Africa could attend the event.

“We agreed that we need a month to invite everyone, but the government sent the invite on 29 October.

Another descendant of Hosea Kutako, Hivaka Mundgendje, says the government failed to include them in the planning process.

“Granting consent to the government to honour Hosea Kutako through developing the homestead into a national monument did not mean surrendering our voice in how his legacy should be honoured,” she says.

German genocide remnant activist Rirua Komeheke says Kutako’s legacy is a fundamental link in Namibia’s resistance and liberation struggle for independence.

“Hosea Kutako is the father of Namibian nationalism, who petitioned the UN demanding that Namibia be removed from South Africa and placed under the UN’strusteeship system,” he says.

Komeheke, who is also a member of the OTA, calls for the event to be postponed, and UN secretary general António Guterres to be invited to the ceremony.

He alleges that allowing president Mbumba to commemorate the ceremony, underscores Kutako’s fight for democracy.

“We feel like Nangolo Mbumba is filling the role of the president, and was not elected but appointed by Hage Geingob,” he notes.

Komeheke says petitions sent to Omaheke governor Pijoo Nganate and the president were not received, despite countless mediums of communication.

“We are encouraging people from Aminuis to gather at Toasis village to stop this event from taking place,” he adds.

Nganate says he will revert to The Namibian on the matter.

“I will revert to you after I am permitted to do so,” he says.

The Katjiua-faction of the OTA spokesperson Itamunua Meroro confirms that Komeheke is a member of the authority.

“Mr Komeheke is a member of the OTA, but please take note that he doesn’t speak for OTA.

Those are his personal views as a member of OTA.”

Meroro says Mutjinde Katjiua, the paramount chief, will address the matter in a conference tomorrow.