Ovaherero division afflicts Nudo – Kauandenge
Withnextyear’snational elections expected to be a fierce battle with tight margins, National Unity Democratic Organisation’s secretary general Josef Kauandenge is well aware of the country’s changing political landscape and admits that the existing division within the Ovaherero community could harm the party’s performance in the 2024 elections. For the 58-year-old Nudo, the party was conceptualised and founded by members of the then Ovaherero Chiefs Council in the early 1960s and has to date remained an interested party to all cultural and political affairs of the deeply divided Ovaherero Traditional Authority (OTA).
Since the passing of Ovaherero paramount chief Vekuii Rukoro in 2021, the OTA has been heavily divided – and as at present, the traditional authority is being spearheaded by two paramount chiefs, one being Prof. Mutjinde Katjiua and the other academic Hoze Riruako.
The two warring factions dragged each other to court last year and the protracted legal battle remains sub judice.
Meanwhile, for Nudo, which is an Ovahererodominated party and largely affected by the dynamics in this community, Kauandenge admitted to New Era that a divided OTA does not help the strategic objectives and political aspirations of the party going into next year’s crucial national elections.
“This division within the OTA has really affected the party’s operations to some extent, because it is a given fact that in both camps, there are Nudo members – and as leaders, we are now expected to move carefully whenever we pronounce ourselves or attend public events. But what is also clear is that despite these fights among the community members, Nudo members love and cherish their party. They are always willing to say yes; we might disagree and we might belong to different factions in the OTA, but we all love our party and we will do everything possible to defend it,” said Kauandenge.
The veteran politician remains confident that party members will still turn up next year and vote en masse for the party without any hesitation.
“Yes, there will be a few elements who might decide not to vote for the party, but we are 100% confident that the vast majority of our members will still vote for their party come 2024, despite the fights within OTA.
“With the upcoming 2024 elections, our hope is that by then, the court would have pronounced itself on the OTA issues and on who the legitimate chief is between the two – and hopefully that will bring this fight to an end. However, the party’s leadership has been at work behind the scene to educate our members that we can differ and belong to these two factions but the party must come first at all times.”
“That is why we deliberately also started establishing party bases in other areas, such as Zambezi, the Kavango regions in the south and other northern areas to canvass support from there as well. The aim is to also make the party a national party. It is important for opposition parties to join forces in the upcoming 2024 elections, as that is the only way we can bring balance in the political powers or corridors of our nation. The fragmented opposition state in which we find ourselves does not help Namibians or it gives them an alternative voice,” he added.