The Hambukushu Traditional Authority, through its lawyers, sent a letter of demand to the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, James Sankwasa.
The Traditional Authority snubbed a consultative meeting on the Bwabwata National Park at Rundu last week, as they wanted it to take place at Mukwe instead.
This is the Bwabwata National Park, situated in both the Kavango East and Zambezi regions.
The Khwe, the Hambukushu and traditional authorities from Zambezi are all claiming its ownership.
Minister of Urban and Rural Development James Sankwasa then convened a consultative meeting at Rundu last week.
The idea was to have all the parties claiming ownership of the area present historical and factual evidence supporting those claims.
The invited traditional authorities showed up, but the Hambukushu traditional authority did not.
Fumu Ervin Munika Mbambo of the Hambukushu traditional authority had earlier requested the meeting to take place at Mukwe. His attempt was unsuccessful.
Sankwasa expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the traditional authority was a no-show.
During the weekend, the Hambukushu traditional authority held a press conference, where its spokesperson, Joseph Dinyando, said, "The Hambukushu Traditional Authority has no objection to being required to present historical evidence. That is precisely what we prepared to do. We took the questions seriously and prepared a comprehensive written submission addressing the historical administration of Western Caprivi/Bwabwata. The Hambukushu Traditional Authority therefore cannot accept that our absence from a meeting whose venue we had expressly objected to should automatically be interpreted as abandonment of our historical and customary position."
Approached for comment, Minister Sankwasa told NBC News in a written message that last week's engagement was a consultative meeting, not a Hambukushu community meeting.
Sankwasa said Rundu is considered neutral ground, capable of accommodating all invited stakeholders in a peaceful manner and not Mukwe.
He also said he refuses to discuss a publicly disputed land issue in private with one party.
The Hambukushu Traditional Authority has approached their lawyers in an attempt to persuade the minister to come to Mukwe.
"A formal communication dated 11 August 2026 confirmed the Authority's position and requested an opportunity to present its historical evidence at Mukwe on an alternative date. This legal process should not be interpreted as hostility towards the government or any other community. It is an effort to ensure that the matter is addressed through a fair, lawful and meaningful process."
Sankwasa told NBC News that the Hambukushu Traditional Authority can still submit their answers to his office, saying that such answers will be tested for validity.
The minister maintains that he did not call the meeting as the Fumu's traditional subject but as a minister of state, empowered by the Constitution to perform his work.