Residents of Uis in the Erongo Region have occupied the Dâure Daman Traditional Authority office, demanding the removal of their traditional leader, Chief Sagarias Seibeb.

The concerned residents accuse Chief Seibeb of mismanagement, favoritism, and violating customary laws, alleging that he has sown division within the community. In their protest, they posted a notice at the traditional authority office announcing his removal and set up camp at the premises to underscore their demands.

One resident voiced their frustrations:
"A person who is not working must be removed. That is why we are here, staying here, sleeping here, waiting for the chief to come so we can give him a formal notice of his removal. There is no development, not even a Namibian flag at this public office. We need the chief to hand over the key and the stamp so we can move forward."

Another resident expressed anger over alleged neglect of the community:
"He doesn’t even adhere to customary law. He only looks after his own interests. We elected him to lead the Daure Daman, not just to improve his life."

The protesters announced their decision to replace Chief Seibeb with Mr. Tourob as acting chief, citing his history of holding regular community meetings and fostering development.

"We are tired. When Mr. Tourob was in charge, there were community meetings every third month. Now, we don’t even have water. The maize I planted is drying up on my farm," said a tearful resident.

Chief Sagarias Seibeb denied the accusations and expressed frustration over the residents’ refusal to meet with him.

"All these allegations, I only hear them on social media, through the media, or from the ministry when they ask me to respond to documents. No one has come to my office to file a formal complaint. For years, we have called meetings, but they refuse to attend and instead cancel them through social media," he said.

Chief Seibeb explained that when he took over in 2018, the traditional authority’s financial accounts were closed. He claimed to have used his own resources to run the office and establish a trust fund.

"This car you see here, I used it for official duties before funds were available in the trust account. For three years, I traveled to places like Swakop, Khorixas, and Ondangwa using my own money and vehicle."

He added that the trust fund, supported by contributions from mining companies, has been used to sponsor young people’s education at schools and universities.

The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development is currently investigating the allegations against Chief Seibeb. A report on the findings is still pending.

Despite the ongoing tensions, Chief Seibeb maintains that he remains committed to fulfilling his duties and addressing the community’s concerns.