17 Sep 2014

The alleged feud between Kgosi Peter Chika and Kgosi Munitenge Sinvula of Parakarungu and Kavimba respectively has negatively affected the Veekuhane, commonly known as the Basubiya cultural celebration.

Organising committee chairman Tedius Yambwa said in an interview that the number of those in attendance had lowered as compared to the previous years. “This is a very unusual experience as all the preparations were done well in time,” said Yambwa, adding that the decline could have been the result of the continued conflict between the royal families.

He said the poor number of performers could be the result of the fact that the committee could not provide an appearance fee due to the delayed issue of funds from the Department of Youth, Sports and Culture.

He further said they had received approximately P10 000 from the department for the celebrations, adding that the number of youth in attendance was disappointing, which could result in a generation not well informed about their culture.

“The youth normally only want to know about our tradition when they are either getting married or when they have lost a loved one and that I cannot condone,” charged Yambwa. Kgosi Sinvula was equally disappointed, saying the usual performance groups were absent.

“This event is usually characterised by a multiple of groups of Chiperu dancers and traditional drummers, but this time around there was only a handful of Chiperu dancers,” said a disappointed Kgosi Sinvula.

He also hinted that political misunderstanding could also be a factor to the poor attendance. Vice chairman of the Cisiya Nkulu Trust Phillimon Zambo said that it was the duty of the community to provide funds for such an event.

Furthermore, he said what is normally provided by the trust should be a top up to funds that the community has raised and not the other way around.

In conclusion, Kgosi Sinvula said Veekuhanes should not be misled by the nickname ‘Masubiya’ that has wrongfully been given to them but hold on to what their ancestors have left for the tribe. Ends