A member of the Gciriku royal family has written a letter to Kavango East governor Bonifasius Wakudumo to enquire about an investigation into the succession of the Gciriku chieftainship, saying the issue has been drawn out.
The investigation is being conducted by the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, which sent a delegation to the Gciriku community in December last year.
The letter was signed by Engelbetha Katura from the Gciriku royal family, and was sent to the governor on 5 May.
“We, the Gciriku royal family, the traditional authority, the chiefs council and the community are deeply concerned about the leadership vacuum and chaos in the Gciriku Traditional Authority this situation has created,” the letter, which The Namibian has seen, reads.
“We are asking your honourable governor . . . and the minister . . . to update us on the latest development regarding the outcome of the ministerial investigation committee,” the letter says.
Wakadumo, when approached for comment last week, confirmed receiving the letter, and said his office has in turn written to the minister’s office, awaiting feedback on the matter.
The Gciriku community has been without a chief since the death of chief Kassian Shiyambi in November 2019.
The process to succeed him has left three royal families at loggerheads.
Three men are contesting to ascend to the throne: Felix Muraghuli Mashika from the Kunyanda royal family, Kosmas Shimanu from the Nankali royal family, and Bartholomeus Aruvitha Kayoka from the Ruhepo royal family.
After the ministry’s meeting with the Ruhepo and Kandambo royal families on 13 December last year, it is now a two-horse race, with Shimanu out of the picture.
Mashika’s claim to the throne is based on a letter his grandfather, the late Shiyambi, left behind, allegedly nominating him as his successor.
In contrast, Kayoka’s claim is based on arguments that his uncle, the late chief, took his place in 1999 because he was deemed too young to be crowned chief.
According to Gciriku customary law, the law gives Kayoka the right to the throne because an uncle’s claim precedes that of a nephew, and Kayoka is Mashika’s uncle.
According to succession history, the late Sebastian Kamwanga favoured Kayoka, and the royal families preferred him to take the throne in 1999, before relinquishing it to his uncle, the late Shiyambi.
In 2022, Kayoka’s application was signed and endorsed by Wakudumo.
LEGAL ROUTE
After learning that Kayoka’s application was signed and forwarded to the line ministry, Mashika applied at the High Court to compel Wakudumo to sign his application, or for the court to appoint an alternative legal person to sign his application.
The Windhoek High Court has indicated it would deliver its judgment in June.
Minister of urban and rural development Erastus Uutoni and the Gciriku Traditional Authority are the second and third respondents.
Approached for comment on Tuesday, Uutoni said the investigation has been concluded and a report has been compiled.
However, it still needs to be submitted to the Council of Traditional Leaders, and then to the Office of the President, he said.
“It’s a process . . . The council of traditional leaders only meets once a year . . . and the council has not yet met,” Uutoni said.
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