Africa-Press – Namibia. THE dust surrounding the succession battle of the Vagciriku chieftaincy refuses to settle, as the Nankali royal family, one of the royal families contesting for the throne, has been excluded from a meeting involving officials from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and two other families – the Ruhepos and the Kunyandas.
A delegation from the ministry last week arrived to engage the two royal families and the Vagciriku community regarding the chieftainship.
The exclusion of the Nankali royal family was, however, not received well.
The Vagciriku community has been without a chief since the death of chief Kassian Shiyambi in November 2019, and the process to succeed him has left the three royal families at loggerheads.
The spokesperson of the Nankali royal family, Bernhard Mungeli, told The Namibian the government was supposed to only serve as mediator in the matter.
According to Gciriku customary law on succession, the Ruhepo, Kunyanda and Nankali royal families were supposed to meet three months after the chief’s death to elect a successor to the throne, he said.
Mungeli said the three families’ elders are to rightfully decide on the chieftainship.
Mungeli said Gelasius Shigwedha of the Kunyanda royal family, Bartholomeus Aruvitha Kayoka’s mother, Ruhepo Makanga, of the Ruhepo royal family, and Kavera Mehembo, a Gciriku chief in Angola, of the Nankali royal family, were “the right people to decide on the Vagciriku chieftainship”.
Successive meetings were held to elect a chief, but Felix Mashika, the Kunyanda royal family’s candidate, was a no-show at the meetings.
Mashika claims to be the rightful heir to the throne based on a letter he regards as the late chief’s will.
Only the Nankali royal family, with its candidate Kosmas Shimanu, and the Ruhepo royal family, with their candidate Kayoka, attended the meeting.
A total of 22 royal family members attended the elective meeting that elected Shimanu as the successor of the Vagciriku throne, a victory Kayoka accepted.
Senior headman of the Vagciriku, Festus Shikerete, was then instructed to start the application process.
However, Kayoka’s faction soon challenged this outcome.
On 13 December 2021, Shikerete informed the Vagciriku community that Kayoka is their new chief, waiting for a designation from the ministry.
Shampapi Shiremo, who has done research on Vagciriku history, says in terms of Vagciriku customary law, the claim of an uncle takes precedence over that of a nephew.
“Since it is the second time he is attempting the throne, Kayoka has a more substantial right than his nephews and nieces to be the heir of the Vagciriku tribe,” he said.
Minister of urban and rural development Erastus Uutoni yesterday said the committee has yet to compile reports for the Zambezi and Kavango regions.
Uutoni said procedurally, the committee has to make recommendations, which are “processed to the council of traditional leaders through the president’s office”.
“If they recommend otherwise, I will see what I will do, but if they recommend that it goes through those channels, then it has to go through those channels as per the procedures,” the minister said.
Asked why the other family was excluded, Uutoni said he needed to study the report first.
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