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Monday, October 28, 2002 - Web posted at 8:37:29 GMT Farm stand-off ends MAX HAMATA at GOBABIS and TANGENI AMUPADHI in WINDHOEKPOLICE on Friday prevented a second attempt by Swapo Party Youth League-led demonstrators to occupy a farm near Gobabis, following the eviction of 30 people who had lived on the land for decades. |
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Over 100 angry demonstrators, organised by the SPYL, entered the farm on Thursday for several hours in response to the eviction. They slashed the tyres of vehicles on the farm and broke at least one window in the farmhouse. Special Field Force members, armed with teargas and automatic weapons, were on guard at Kalkpan from Thursday until Friday. Later on Friday, farm manager Ron Pieterse agreed to allow the evicted families back on the farm while negotiations over their eventual fate continue. Earlier more than 10 Police officers had formed a human shield at the gate of Farm Kalkpan, 30 km west of Gobabis, to keep out protesters. The farm is owned by 95-year-old Dirk van Wyk, but is administered by Pieterse. A clash between the Police and the Swapo demonstrators was averted when political leaders agreed that the emotionally charged protesters should turn back. More than 100 people took part in the march. The labourers returned to the farm on Friday afternoon after Pieterse agreed to a request by Omaheke Governor Laura McLeod that the eviction be rescinded until a longer term solution was found. The demonstration was sparked by the eviction of the families of six labourers in the middle of last week following a ruling in the Gobabis Magistrate's Court. Officials representing the Messenger of the Court dismantled their houses. The eviction followed a decision by Pieterse, the son-in-law of the ailing Van Wyk, to remove the workers and their families from the land. The workers insist that Van Wyk gave them permission to live on his farm and alleged that Pieterse had manipulated the old man, now in the old age home at Gobabis, into putting his name on court papers seeking the eviction. The workers say they have been prevented from seeing Van Wyk. Police commanding officer Baron Freyer said NamPol was there to "protect the lives and property of anyone residing in the country". He confirmed that demonstrators had slashed tyres and broken a window in the farmhouse on Thursday. "That is why we did not allow people inside today (Friday), because if you allow them they will have the opportunity to damage." A signboard outside the farm on which the owner's name was written was, however, damaged on Friday while Freyer's officers blocked the entrance to the farm. As part of the agreement with demonstrators, the Police allowed a Government truck containing the belongings of the evicted labourers and accompanied by five representatives of the protesters into the farm so that their houses could be rebuilt. The demonstrators had threatened to use force to gain access onto the farm but Swapo Regional Co-ordinator Festus Ueitele urged them to be disciplined, stressing "now that these six families have been returned there is no need to get onto the farm. We have achieved our objectives and we must now wait for further instruction from above." Commenting on the tension, NAU President Jan de Wet said: "Now that we have succeeded in defusing the situation, we must sit and talk and avoid the situation damaging the image of Namibia." Despite the decision to allow the evictees to return, there were chaotic scenes at Gobabis on Friday evening. A scuffle broke out between the demonstrators and a Gobabis businessman, George Friedrich, after a teargas canister was allegedly thrown into a crowd gathered at the offices of Pieterse's lawyer Bennie Venter. The demonstrators tried to attack Friedrich but he took took refuge in a Police van. Police then fired five shots in the air to restore order. No one was injured in the clash. A Police official on the scene alleged Friedrich had thrown the teargas canister. No separate confirmation could be obtained. "These white farmers of Gobabis think they are the only ones with firearms. We also have weapons and we can use them to defend ourselves," said one of the demonstrators, Wallace Finnies. Protesters proceeded to the Magistrate's Court to ask Magistrate Wouter Maske to reverse the eviction of the farm labourers. "The (Omaheke) Governor Laura McLeod asked me to reverse the decision on humanitarian grounds but I am not entitled to reverse a court decision even when I want to do that. I must act in line with the law. I can only act when there is an application for recession. But so far the Government lawyer acting on behalf of the labourers has only indicated to launch an application for recession but he has not done it yet," Maske told The Namibian. Government attorney representing the labourers Titus Mbaeva is still studying the law to before he decides what to do next. Mbaeva said politicians needed to address the issue of farmworker evictions. "There is a lot of emphasis put on the willing-seller, willing-buyer concept and little is being said on the eviction of farm labourers. This problem needs to be addressed with more effective legislation or otherwise our people will continue to suffer," he said. De Wet called on white farmers to keep the emotive land issue out of the courts. "If we disturb stability everybody is going to lose," he added. "This can harm the country. If the news is being spread worldwide, everybody is focused on the Zimbabwe situation. This is not a Zimbabwe-like situation," he said. |
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