The Khwe community living in Bwabwata National Park is frustrated with the government for taking so long to recognise its traditional leadership.

The community has been trying for the past 26 years to have its leadership recognised.

 
It's an issue that has been dragging on for more than two decades.

The Khwe say the lack of traditional representation means they have lost their dignity on top of having already lost their ancestral land.

A Khwe community member says, "We don't have a leader, and GRN does not even see us as humans. If GRN thought of us as human beings, they would be taking care of us the same way they are taking care of other tribes."

"What have the San people done to the entire Namibia that they are facing?" Without somebody to lead me, who am I? You tell me that I am in a country that is independent, but I don't have land, and I don't have a leader," says Khumalo Kaseta, a community activist.

The absence of a recognised traditional leader means the Khwe now fall under the Hambukushu Traditional Authority, which also lives in the park. But the indigenous community says their cultures and traditions are worlds' apart.
 

Approached for comment, Executive Director in the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, Nghidinua Daniel, said in a written statement that the main factor hindering the recognition of the Khwe community is the absence of a properly defined area of jurisdiction for the community, which is a requirement in the Traditional Authorities Act.

He says the area of jurisdiction indicated in their application is Bwabwata National Park, which falls under the custodianship of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism.

But the Ministry of Environment says they have absolutely nothing to do with why the Khwe are not recognised.

Daniel says the matter has been referred to the Attorney General for legal advice, adding that the Ministry also provided feedback to the Khwe Community on the current status of their application.