‘Marginalisation’ of Kunene inhabitants irks Tjavara
INHABITANTS of Kunene are discriminated against in the recruitment process when it comes to senior education posts in the region, Otjikaoko Traditional Authority Chief Uziruapi Tjavara has said.
This is contained in a letter addressed to Kunene education director Angeline Jantze, dated 2 February 2021.
“It is painful to hear that again, our people have been excluded during the recruitment of leaders in senior positions in the ministry of education – and as usual, people from other regions took these leadership positions at the expense of our competent people of the region,” Tjavara said.
He said the exclusion of “our people in Kunene is visible, known and painful”.
His letter comes a week after the appointments of education inspectors for the Opuwo and Epupa circuits.
“We demand the cancellation of their appointment. Re-advertise the vacancies in order to include our people,” Tjavara demanded.
When approached on Sunday, Jantze said the ministry was attending to the allegations.
“I will not comment on that for now. We
have received many letters and complaints and we will respond through our own minister to provide all the statistics and
facts,” she said.
Tjavara’s sentiments are echoed across various platforms by residents of the region, including academics and politicians.
A meeting was held in November in Opuwo where education stakeholders met to discuss matters hampering the region’s performance; recruitment of teachers and alleged marginalisation of the region’s inhabitants in key positions.
Ambrosius Tjizu, a head of department at the Ondao Mobile Schools was in attendance.
Tjizu pointed to the human resources (HR) department of the education ministry in the region as the main culprit.
“If you go to the HR department, the panellists are mainly from one tribe. Tell me then, who do you think these people will favour?”
Another educator and resident this agency spoke to was Tuazaana Ndunge.
“All HR departments in the region need to be properly constituted in terms of both ethnic and cultural representation without delay. Inhabitants of Kunene, regardless of their ethnicity, need to hold a majority in this vital department,” Ndunge opined.
Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah said Kunene is one of the most marginalised regions historically, politically and economically in Namibia.
“You cannot ignore that when it comes to employment, economic development or any other social developments that you want to develop in the country. It must be given bigger attention in the sense that a lot of people in that area might not have the education to compete at national level or might not have particular skills and that’s where affirmative action comes in,” he said.