The farmers met with the Chairman of the Government steering committee on the issue, Local Government Permanent Secretary Erastus Negongo, at Ondangwa on Thursday.

The Ministries of Local Government, Lands, Justice, Trade and Industry, Safety and Security and Defence are represented on the committee, as well as the Oshikoto, Ohangwena and Kavango regional councils and the Ondonga, Uukwangali and Oukwanyama traditional authorities.

Government has ordered the farmers to vacate western Kavango before the end of the month because the Chief of Ukwangali, Sitentu Mpasi, has lost patience with their cattle grazing illegally in his area.

Negonga said Government had allocated two farms belonging to the National Development Corporation at Mangetti, where some of the cattle can be accommodated until a permanent place is found for them.

However, the farms can accommodate only about 2 000 cattle and the farmers have an estimated 6 000 cattle in Kavango.

Negonga urged the farmers to co-operate by finding grazing on other farms while Government dealt with the matter.

However, the farmers told him that the operation could only be successful if they were given grazing for their cattle.

Some of them told Negonga that they had heard rumours that they would be given grazing in Angola.

Vilho 'Kabila' Hamunyela said if that happened Government would have to issue them with documents classifying them as refugees in Angola.

Negonga instructed the farmers' association to register all farmers and the number of their cattle in Kavango, because there are no statistics on their numbers.

They have to submit the information to him on August 28.

The next meeting will be at Ondangwa on August 29.

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