Another report in the top secret drawer

DISGRUNTLED NATIVE WRITES:We, the traditional community of Vaalgras are people who have respect for the rule of law. We are law-abiding and we are doing things moderately.Our revolt is 12 years old, but never did we venture to coronate our newly elected leadership in our traditional way and fashion.This is probably something very odd for the Government. We all are well aware of many tribes who have coronated their traditional leaders following their culture and custom while operating without Government’s recognition.The bond of recognition is a communication and development agent for the Government to liaise and work with leaders at traditional community level. At present the Government is disenfranchising this impoverished, neglected and underdeveloped rural community of their intransigent constitutional and basic fundamental human rights for the past 30 years after Independence.The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development in their letters to us dated 31st October 2013 and the latest one of 16 July 2020 maintains to refer to the deposed Chief Joël Stephanus as the still legitimate and officially recognized chief of the Vaalgras Traditional Authority.They are confusing themselves with the judgement given by Judge Collins Parker in which he simply meant he is still the Chief until degazetted. He furthermore concluded that a chief can be removed in terms of Section 8(1) of the Traditional Authorities Act No. 25 of 2000, if sufficient reasons exist. The Judge found maladministration and bad governance as sufficient reasons to remove a chief, if the correct procedures were followed to so.As long as whoever Local Government Minister refuses to carry out Section 8(3) and (4), by putting his signature on the removal request, the section will never be complied with. It’s the same with Section 12 of that same Act, which deals with “settlement of disputes”.Cognizance must be taken that there was and is no dispute in Vaalgras. We have simply followed the correct procedure to remove the sitting chief in accordance with the law.On 27 November 2013, Hon. Charles Namoloh dispatched a Fact-Finding Mission led by Mr. Phillip Tjireje to Vaalgras for investigations. This report is now a top secret in the Ministry, simply because it is or was in our favour. If they dispute this then they must prove the contrary.All that I see that the Government needs to do in order to correct this situation is to summon the two warring parties before the Council of Former Presidents, as was done with the Ndonga traditional authorities.Both Section 8 and 12 have been dealt with adequately already and the Government is just exploiting “technical loopholes” that do not exist. It’s disheartening and deplorable that all this is being done to protect and defend an apparent long time comrade, at the expenses of the suffering masses.We have on numerous occasions strongly appealed to the Government for their strategic intervention. We should perhaps take that bold and irresponsible step to coronate our new elected leadership.

Another report in the top secret drawer

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Republikein 2025-04-10

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Another report in the top secret drawer

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Republikein 2025-04-10

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