Village chiefs decry lack of income
Report urges law review
The National Council team visited the Oshana, Omusati and Kunene regions between 18 and 30 July 2022.
Village chiefs entrusted with allocating and safeguarding communal land and assisting the community say they are sometimes forced to pay from their own pockets to carry out their work since they are not compensated for their efforts.
This is one of the findings contained in a National Council report following an outreach initiative led by the council’s vice-chairperson, Victoria Kauma.
Kauma and her team visited the Oshana, Omusati and Kunene regions between 18 and 30 July 2022.
“A majority of the headmen do not have land to offer any more and it means there is no income for them, hence the need to review the laws that are aimed at compensating headmen,” the report read.
“Traditional authority headmen and -women perform important functions allocating land, and the National Council delegation was asked how it can help them execute their duties without them using their own money.”
Limited earning potential
Village chiefs only earn an income when they sell land.
A headman, who opted to remain anonymous, told Namibian Sun: “We don’t have a salary from government. We only make money if we sell land. It can be N$150 or N$600 if the land is big".
He added: “For those who do not have any land available, you do not make money and all you are left to do is safeguard the community and ensure that the traditional authority's work is done”.
Sale of grazing land
The source claimed that some headmen and headwomen, in order to earn money, engage in illegal dealings with wealthy individuals who are given permission to settle in areas that were previously designated as grazing areas. These individuals are willing to pay significant amounts of money in exchange, he said.
“If you see a community up in arms over an area that is known to be a grazing area, just know that an illegal deal happened and that that was done by a person who wanted money,” the source alleged.
In some traditional authorities, a village chief is a community member with limited resources, while in others, wealthy people - often politicians - are entrusted with this responsibility.
[email protected]
This is one of the findings contained in a National Council report following an outreach initiative led by the council’s vice-chairperson, Victoria Kauma.
Kauma and her team visited the Oshana, Omusati and Kunene regions between 18 and 30 July 2022.
“A majority of the headmen do not have land to offer any more and it means there is no income for them, hence the need to review the laws that are aimed at compensating headmen,” the report read.
“Traditional authority headmen and -women perform important functions allocating land, and the National Council delegation was asked how it can help them execute their duties without them using their own money.”
Limited earning potential
Village chiefs only earn an income when they sell land.
A headman, who opted to remain anonymous, told Namibian Sun: “We don’t have a salary from government. We only make money if we sell land. It can be N$150 or N$600 if the land is big".
He added: “For those who do not have any land available, you do not make money and all you are left to do is safeguard the community and ensure that the traditional authority's work is done”.
Sale of grazing land
The source claimed that some headmen and headwomen, in order to earn money, engage in illegal dealings with wealthy individuals who are given permission to settle in areas that were previously designated as grazing areas. These individuals are willing to pay significant amounts of money in exchange, he said.
“If you see a community up in arms over an area that is known to be a grazing area, just know that an illegal deal happened and that that was done by a person who wanted money,” the source alleged.
In some traditional authorities, a village chief is a community member with limited resources, while in others, wealthy people - often politicians - are entrusted with this responsibility.
[email protected]
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