Verdict in Sambyu’s hompa election squabble on Thursday

WINDHOEK, 15 AUG – The ruling of an urgent application intended to stop the Sambyu Traditional Authority from going ahead with an election of a new chief (hompa), will be made public in the High Court here on Thursday.
High Court Deputy Judge President, Hosea Angula will hand down the verdict in the legal wrangle.
In the urgent application, a certain Maria Ukamba Haindaka is asking the High Court to issue an immediate interdict and restrain the Minister of Urban and Rural Development Peya Mushelenga, the Sambyu Traditional Authority, Sofia Kanyetu, the officials of the Electoral Commission of Namibia and the Council of the Sambyu Traditional Leaders from conducting an election for a new chief in the area.
The Sambyu Traditional Authority is located in the Kavango East Region and the election of the new chief in that area is scheduled to be held on Saturday at Kayengona village.
Earlier reports carried by the New Era daily newspaper, have it that the legal wrangle relates to an earlier decision taken by Mushelenga on 29 June this year, allegedly granting approval for an election to determine the hompa of the Sambyu people as per the provisions of Section 5(10) of the Traditional Authorities Act.
It is reported that the dispute arose after the death of the previous chief of the Sambyu people in 2015 and after the two royal houses of the tribe could not designate a successor of the late Chief Angelina Matumbo on 14 June 2015.
Furthermore, it is reported that according to the customary laws of the vaSambyu people, a successor of the chief should always come from either the vaMukwahepo or vaMwengere lineage or clan.
However, the two aforesaid clans could not agree on a successor in 2015 and in 2016 the two clans nominated Maria Joachim Kanyanda and Sofia Mundjembwe Kanyetu, respectively, for the position of the new chief.
But Kanyanda died in February 2017.
In the meantime, the Minister of Urban and Rural Development appointed an investigation committee in respect of the clans’ failure to designate a successor and it was reportedly decided that an election should be conducted with Haindaka and Kanyetu as the candidates.
Haindaka was not satisfied with these arrangements and, therefore, approached the Windhoek High Court with this urgent application to stop the election of the new chief that is scheduled at Kayengona village this coming Saturday.
Both the Minister of Urban and Rural Development and Kanyetu opposed Haindaka’s application.
NAMPA