Windhoek: Chairperson of the Ovaherero Chiefs' Council, Vipua Kapuuo, is contesting Professor Bethold Mutjinde's claim to the position of paramount chief in a legal battle that commenced in the Windhoek High Court on Tuesday. Kapuuo is seeking a judicial declaration that, according to Ovaherero customary law, the chairperson of the Chief's Council should become the acting Paramount Chief of the Ovaherero Traditional Community upon the death or incapacitation of the paramount chief.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the application follows the death of Ovaherero Paramount Chief, Advocate Vekuii Rukoro, in 2021. Kapuuo asserts that following Rukoro's death, the chairperson of the Chief's Council should be recognized as the acting Paramount Chief of the Ovaherero Traditional Authority, in line with customary law, tradition, and protocol.

In addition, Kapuuo is challenging the legality of a Chief's Council meeting held from December 10 to 12, 2021, at Onderombapa, which he claims was unlawful as it was not convened by the Chief's Council. He is requesting the court to review and annul the decisions made during this meeting, maintaining that as the Chairperson of the Chief's Council, he is the legitimate acting Paramount Chief.

The disputed meeting reportedly endorsed Mutjinde Katjiua as the Ovaherero Paramount Chief. Kapuuo's lawyer, Raymond Heathcote, argued that Katjiua assumed this title through a "coup d'©tat." Heathcote emphasized that the Ovaherero Traditional Authority operates like any structured institution with established rules, and the deputy should automatically succeed the paramount chief upon the chief's death.