The four traditional authorities in the Zambezi Region and the Regional Council have submitted their final recommendations and proposals for the constituency administrative boundaries and regional boundaries.
The Mafwe, Mashi, Masubia, and Mayeyi traditional authorities and the Zambezi Regional Council made submissions calling for the Commission to recommend that the boundary for Zambezi be restored.
The groups want the border to be moved west to the place where it was previously demarcated at Mukuvi in the Mukwe Constituency before the 4th Boundaries Delimitation and Demarcation Commission recommends it be shifted east to Chetto.
Zambezi Governor, Alufea Sampofu, emphasised that the effects of the second, third, and fourth commissions had certain socio-economic and administrative disadvantages for the region.
"The sentiments expressed by the people of Zambezi are to advocate for the restoration of the regional boundary to be in the middle of the Kavango River. Honourable Judge, honourable commissioners, this is our plea."
The governor, however, stated that the name will remain, despite protestations about it.
"Many countries are changing names from colonial names; many countries are changing colonial names; why should we stick to Caprivi?"
The Zambezi Traditional and Regional Authorities also proposed that constituencies in the region be increased from the current eight to 12.
Sampofu and the traditional authorities emphasised that the Khwe San community living in Bwabwata National Park deserves a constituency managed by themselves.
They submitted that the constituency be named Bawabwata, with the seat of the constituency being Chetto.
A member of the Zambezi Regional Delimitation and Demarcation Committee, Sinvula Mudabeti, stressed that the region cannot continue losing land to other countries and other regions.
"It is common knowledge that the Zambezi Region is the only region in Namibia that lost land to Botswana and Kavango out of all the 14 regions. It is also common knowledge that the Zambezi Region is the only region in the whole country that has been reduced by every other delimitation commission. Please, this is not a tribal statement but a numeric statement I am going to make. The second group of people who went into exile were Caprivians. I refer to Caprivians as people in the Zambezi Region. The second largest people who died in exile after Wambos were Caprivians; it is on record, and they died to fight for the land, which is now taken away from their children whose parents share their blood in Angola, Zambia, and Tanzania. We will not allow that to continue; I think this is where it should stop."
The 5th Boundaries Delimitation and Demarcation Commission, chaired by Acting Judge Petrus Unengu, completed its two-day consultations in the Zambezi Region on Tuesday.