Placido Hilukilwa
SENIOR Traditional Councillor George Nghipunyati Nelulu, who was the chairperson of the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority (OuTA) for the past 18 years, has retired days before celebrating his 80th day early this month.
“The 80th birthday is an important event one would want to celebrate surrounded by people of the same age, but that was not to be. Many of my peers have already passed on but God has preserved me. I have every reason to thank and praise Him,” said Nelulu.
He said although his age peers are few, the birthday party was attended by a big crowd of well-wishers who brought him gifts and refreshing words of appreciation and encouragement.
Meekulu Nelumbu was among the important guests.
Born at the Etomba village, Nelulu attended a local school but soon dropped out and entered the job market.
His first employment as a teenager was at a farm in the Outjo district.
“My employer was a man of unbearable cruelty. I had to escape and walk back to Owamboland, an extremely dangerous journey on foot through the lion infested Etosha,” he said.
Before long, he went job hunting again and landed in South Africa where he worked in a mine from 1961 to 1964.
The experience he gained served him well later on when he was employed by the Tsumeb Corporation Limited (TCL) as a truck driver and operator of earth moving machines.
Nelulu also worked as bus driver in the employment of the City of Windhoek before quitting and venturing into business and crop and cattle farming where he proved fairly successful.
In 2003 he was elected head of the Eudaneko District and immediately thereafter was appointed OuTA chairperson, serving first under late Tatekulu Kornelius Shelungu and later under his successor and current OuTA head, Meekulu Martha Mwadinomho Kristian Nelumbu.
“Serving my people in that capacity was to me a great privilege and an unparalleled honour. It was in no way smooth sailing. We encountered challenges but we did manage to score very important strategic goals to make OuTA what it is today,” said Nelulu.
He said that when he was appointed, OuTA existed for all practical purposes on paper only. “The OuTA coffers were empty; the king was still residing in his private homestead in the Oneheke village in the Ombadja tribal area; there was no palace and a significant number of Ovakwanyama had, by that time, neither understood nor accepted the restored Royal House,” he said.
Oukwanyama was without a reigning monarch since 1917 when the last king, Mandume Ya Ndemufayo, died fighting against British and Portuguese forces.
The Oukwanyama Royal House was only restored with the crowning of king Shelungu in 1998.
“It was a difficult time indeed, but those days are behind us now. We have set up structures that are functioning well, have built a magnificent palace at Onmhedi and the OuTA is now financially healthy,” he said.
However, during the 18 years of his chairmanship, intrigue and struggle for power were not in short supply.
Nelulu was suspended twice, accused of misappropriating money and of illegal land allocation respectively, but in both cases was found innocent and reinstated in his position.
Queen Nelumbu has now appointed Elias Waandja, the head of the Onandova district, as the acting OuTA chairman.
KING: George Nelulu (left) swearing in the new king of Ondonga, Fillemon Shuumbwa Nangolo, in 2019.
RETIRED: Senior Traditional Councillor George Nelulu. Photos: File
