Renthia Kaimbi
Degazetted Dâuredaman chief Zacharias Seibeb has approached the High Court to challenge his removal as the leader of the Dâure Daman Traditional Authority.
Seibeb was dethroned in November last year through a decision carried out by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah under Section 8(4) of the Traditional Authorities Act.
Seibeb is seeking a judicial review to set aside the decision taken by the President and the minister of urban and rural development, James Sankwasa.
He also wants to be re-gazetted and recognised as chief in all official records.
“I am the duly recognised traditional chief of the Dâuredaman Traditional Authority,” Seibeb said in his founding affidavit.
He said this belief led him to file the review application to challenge the decision of 14 November 2025.
Seibeb said the state failed to respond properly to his application despite being served.
He said no notice of intention to oppose had been filed and no record of the administrative proceedings had been submitted, even after a formal demand was sent to the office of the attorney general.
He described the delay as unfair and said it left him with no option but to ask the court to allow the review to proceed without the record to avoid further delay and prejudice.
In response, High Court judge Beatrix de Jager issued an order on 3 February 2026 to move the matter forward.
The court ordered the state respondents to provide Seibeb with the full record by 20 February 2026. They must also file their answering affidavit or raise any preliminary legal issues by 20 March 2026. Seibeb may then file his reply by 7 April 2026.
All parties must submit a joint case management report by 13 April 2026, ahead of a case management conference scheduled for 22 April 2026.
Nandi-Ndaitwah has indicated that she intends to oppose the application.
The government’s decision to remove Seibeb was based on allegations of financial mismanagement.
Seibeb denied the claims and said earlier investigations by the ministry found no evidence against him.
In a letter dated 22 September 2025, Sankwasa informed Seibeb that the ministry had started the degazetting process.
The letter referred to a consultative meeting held on 5 June 2025 to address what Sankwasa described as a long-running dispute between the Dâuredaman Traditional Authority and a community group.
Sankwasa said government efforts to resolve the matter had failed and that patience had run out. He then initiated the degazetting process.
Following this, a group of community elders voted in June 2025 and elected Issakar Tourob as chief, later endorsing his chieftaincy.
