Minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa has raised alarm over the rampant sale of communal land by some traditional leaders.
He says land is being marketed "like a piece of cake" in certain rural areas.
Sankwasa said this at the official opening of the annual Council of Traditional Leaders meeting at Ondangwa yesterday.
"The land is being marketed and sold like a piece of cake in some rural areas," the minister said.
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"Chieftainship succession disputes are on the rise, and my office continues to receive applications for recognition. In some cases, individuals are applying for recognition within the jurisdiction of existing traditional authorities," Sankwasa said.
He questioned the motive for such applications, particularly when they are from individuals who have the same language, culture, and traditions as the communities they wish to separate from.
"What are you trying to achieve?" he asked. "There is already a chief in that area, yet someone wants to be recognised in the same jurisdiction. You speak the same language, you live in the same area, you share the same culture and tradition, but you want to break away from the rest. This cannot continue, because Namibia requires unity."
Sankwasa urged traditional leaders to prioritise national unity and act as custodians of the land, rather than treating it as a commodity to be sold for personal gain.
"For the past months I have served as the minister of urban and rural development. I have observed that some of our traditional authorities have been embroiled in chieftainship succession for a long, long time," he said.
He said some reigning chiefs nominate successors before they die, but when they die, some people who were not nominated demand recognition from the government as chiefs.
"Why do we continue to violate our traditions? Why do we continue eroding our culture? Where are we going? Why do we have this mushrooming of chieftainship? Are we sure the government can sustain these small allowances? I cannot," Sankwasa asked.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at the event said she is burdened by the never-ending infighting and leadership succession disputes that continue to prevail in communities across the country to the extent that the integrity of traditional authorities has come into question.
"As I am speaking to you now, out of 53 recognised traditional authorities, there are more than 10 without leadership due to succession disputes," she said.
She said the government is often drawn into the disputes.
The president said the division does not only cause divisions among communities, but also consumes resources that would be better allocated to matters of priority, such as "the war against poverty and disease".
"Such disputes also undermine community unity, eroding moral and cultural values that can lead to a loss of cultural identity. Customary laws that govern succession should be understood, respected, and complied with."
Nandi-Ndaitwah said new applications for the recognition of new traditional authorities are still being received unabated.
"This is a situation that, if not arrested, may not only become financially unsustainable, but also lead to further tribal division within the Namibian house.
"Although as a traditionalist I respect traditional authorities, we cannot have a country fragmented into pockets of tribal settlements. Do we perhaps want to turn our democracy into a monarchy? And where would such an arrangement lead us?"she asked.
Meanwhile, Council of Traditional Leaders chairperson Immanuel /Gaseb said many court cases involve traditional authorities.
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According to him, most of these cases are initiated by people with "good academic credentials".
"They divide traditional leaders for their own interests," /Gaseb said.
He urged Namibians to respect their customary laws and use their academics and skills to strengthen good governance within traditional authorities, rather than causing division.
"You are not going to school to divide the traditional leadership," he said.
/Gaseb said traditional leaders should encourage their subjects to participate in the regional and local authority elections slated for 27 November.
"Let's ensure campaigns are conducted peacefully without intimidation or violence and that our people exercise their rights to vote in the spirit of unity," he said.
