Martin Endjala
A group of concerned Daure Daman community members from Uis in the Erongo region are demanding to see the president, refusing to engage with what they term “useless ministries.”
This comes after the group travelled from Uis on Tuesday to present their grievances to President Nangolo Mbumba at the State House on Wednesday.
They were denied an audience with the president.
The executive director in the president’s private office, Moses Pakote, wrote a letter dated 23 January, directing attention to the group’s request made on 20 January.
The letter stated that the president had referred their concerns to three ministries: the Urban and Rural Development Ministry, the Environment, Forestry, and Tourism Ministry, as well as the Mines and Energy Ministry.
The group is seeking an audience to discuss accusations against Daure Daman Traditional Authority Chief Zacharias Seibeb, addressing issues such as violations of customary laws, damage to heritage and ancestry sites by investors, illegal mining, and the removal of the chief.
According to the group’s spokesperson, Jimmy Areseb, they will not engage with the ministries, claiming they have failed to assist them in the past.
“The president has referred us to the same useless ministries that have done nothing all this time. We will not waste our time going to these ministries to start all over again. We want a meeting with the President,” Areseb said.
Areseb told the Windhoek Observer that they are preparing documents to approach Nampol for permission to stage a peaceful march next week.
A media briefing is planned for Friday.
Meanwhile, in a letter dated 14 September 2024, Chief Seibeb dismissed rumours of the appointment of a new chief, stating that he remains their chief. He attributed the claims to a group of disgruntled elderly tribesmen using their children to pose as concerned community youth demanding services from the traditional authority.
“They even petitioned the three ministries to intervene, but the responses they received were deemed unsatisfactory. Now, they are resorting to chanting for the dismantling of the leadership, which has been unsuccessful,” he explained.
Seibeb argued that the group, consisting of about 10 to 20 people, does not represent any significant faction within the authority. He pointed out that Section 18 of the Traditional Authorities Act allows for the removal of a chief only if they violate customary laws.
He also said that not everyone has the community’s best interests at heart and urged the community to unite, recognising that only through unity can they build a thriving society.
Areseb and other group members were arrested in December last year but were released on bail after defying a court order prohibiting them from demonstrating and camping on the premises of the traditional office.
The group, however, continued camping in front of the office after Seibeb walked out of a community meeting he called to address the concerns of the residents.
