The Ovaherero chieftaincy dispute continued in the Windhoek High Court, as Senior Traditional Councillor Vipuira Kapuuo faced cross-examination by Advocate Albert Strydom before Judge Lotta Ambunda.
At the heart of Kapuuo's testimony is the legitimacy of a transitional committee formed after Rukoro's death, which was chaired by Professor Mutjinde Katjiua, who is also a claimant to the Paramount Chief title.
Kapuuo, chairman of the Ovaherero Chiefs Council, disputed the authority of the committee, insisting that it was never mandated to handle the affairs of the OTA beyond funeral arrangements for the late leader.
Kapuuo told the court that not all members who constituted the six-member transitional committee were chiefs, councillors, or part of the recognised hierarchy of the Ovaherero leadership.
He maintained that the committee, chaired by Katjiua, had no legal or traditional authority to appoint a Paramount Chief or manage OTA affairs, describing its formation as an overreach of power.
Advocate Strydom, however, challenged Kapuuo's version, saying that shortly after Rukoro's death, Katjiua had contacted him to discuss the formation of a transitional committee that could pave the way for Katjiua's leadership.
Kapuuo denied this, stating the only conversation he had with Katjiua was a call to inform him of Rukoro's death.
The court also heard of a subsequent meeting at Roof of Africa, where several figures, including Katjiua, allegedly deliberated on forming the committee.
Kapuuo acknowledged participating telephonically in the meeting but insisted that its sole purpose was to arrange the funeral, not to establish any leadership structure.
He testified that the committee's decision to allow chiefs to vote on whether he should continue as acting Paramount Chief or whether Katjiua's committee should assume leadership was itself unlawful.
The six-member transitional committee had, at the time, appointed Katjiua, who was then the Secretary General of the OTA, as chairperson to oversee burial arrangements.
Kapuuo said that this was the committee's only legitimate function, accusing Katjiua and his allies of using the committee as a springboard to seize power.
The matter will continue on the 11th of September.