Ovaherero reject calls to scrap paramount chieftaincy

THE Ovaherero Traditional Authority (OTA) has rejected calls to abolish the paramount chieftaincy amid an ongoing leadership dispute between rival factions.

The leadership crisis began mid-2021 following the death of the previous paramount chief, Vekuii Rukoro.

Shortly after in December 2021, a meeting held at Onderombapa elected academic professor Mutjinde Katjiua as the new leader.

This triggered immediate opposition from chief Vipuira Kapuuo, the chairman of the OTA Chiefs’ Council, who argued the meeting was unauthorised and launched a High Court challenge in 2022.

The rift deepened when competing factions separately crowned Katjiua and a rival candidate, academic Hoze Riruako, as chiefs, leaving two claimants to the throne.

The matter is currently in the High Court, which has not yet pronounced itself on the matter.