Sostenus Wilherm
A long-running dispute over the leadership of the /Khomanin Traditional Community has intensified, with community members confronting urban and rural development minister James Sankwasa on Tuesday over what they say is the ministry’s failure to provide answers on their case against Chief Julien Gawanas.
The /Khomanin Traditional Community engaged Sankwasa on Tuesday at his office in Windhoek, demanding an update on documents submitted to the ministry concerning their call for the removal of Gawanas and the status of an audit into the community’s finances.
Community activist Shaun Gariseb said the community gave its consent to the ministry on 22 April 2024 for an audit to be conducted but questioned why it was still seeking answers more than two years later.
“We have given our consent to the ministry on 22nd of April 2024. That is when we gave, and they took one full year to do an audit report,” Gariseb said.
He accused the ministry of appearing unaware of documents and developments relating to the matter, saying the community had approached the minister not to demand an immediate decision but to establish what had been done with its submissions.
“The document is very clear. The document says when we are coming on the first, we want to know the status of our deposition, our petition with regards to removing the chief,” Gariseb said.
He said the community wanted to know whether, in terms of Section 12, the ministry had engaged or constituted the relevant committee and how far that process had progressed.
“We also want them to give us the status report of the audit report,” he said.
Gariseb said the community had requested the audit because it wanted to establish facts that could support further action concerning allegations of mismanagement of community funds.
He further said the community had asked the ministry not to continue engaging the traditional authority until the dispute was resolved.
However, Sankwasa said the community could not expect the minister to simply remove Gawanas or install another chief, stressing that traditional leadership matters are governed by a prescribed process.
“The chief was put there by the same community that must remove or install a new chief, not the minister,” Sankwasa said.
He explained that the minister does not designate a chief for a traditional community and that the process must involve the regional governor.
Sankwasa said the /Khomanin community should submit its request and the outcome of its traditional process to the governor, who would then make the necessary recommendations to the ministry.
“You take to the governor of the region, like any other community does in Namibia. You are not the only community. This is the procedure,” he said.
The audit report also became a major point of contention during the engagement.
Sankwasa said there was a distinction between an Auditor-General’s report, which is submitted to Parliament and becomes public, and an internal audit report intended for administrative purposes.
“In this case, we are talking about and demanding an internal report to be given publicly. It will not be done,” Sankwasa said.
He said internal audit reports were not intended for public consumption and therefore could not simply be released to the community.
“Internal reports are not for public consumption. It’s for administrative purposes within a given institution. So you cannot get a copy,” he said.
Gariseb, however, maintained that the community had already followed the procedures outlined by the minister and urged Sankwasa to read the documents submitted to his office before drawing conclusions.
“No, no, no. We did not come to expect that from you. We came here to ask the status of what we gave you,” Gariseb said.
He insisted that the community had engaged the relevant stakeholders and had previously sought guidance from the ministry.
“We have done everything you are talking about. Have you read our report?” Gariseb asked.
The exchange became increasingly tense, with Gariseb accusing the minister and his deputy of undermining the community.
He objected to the deputy minister referring to the community’s submission as a petition, saying they had submitted a broader document outlining their concerns and demands.
Sankwasa defended his deputy minister, explaining that she had been delegated to engage the community while he was occupied with other government responsibilities.
“In terms of Article 37, it says the deputy minister is appointed to perform the duties that the minister performs,” Sankwasa said.
He warned that undermining the deputy minister would amount to undermining the government system.
Gariseb rejected this, maintaining that the community felt it was being undermined by the ministry’s handling of the matter.
The meeting ended without an immediate resolution to the dispute and Gariseb indicated that the community would write to the regional governor while continuing to pursue the process it believes it has already followed.
