11th hour agreement averts land grab

THE Namibia Farmworkers Union (Nafwu) and the owner of Farm Okozongominja in the Otjozondjupa Region reached a last-minute agreement at the weekend to avert forcible occupation of the property.

The two parties hastily thrashed out the deal in the shadow of the paramilitary Police who kept an eye on close to 100 angry Nafwu members who had converged on the farm awaiting instructions to “forcefully take the land”. The agreement, which paved the way for a negotiated settlement, was received with mixed feelings by the farmworkers.Some accused the union leaders of “selling them out” to white farmers, while others carried placards declaring ‘We reject the agreement’.Nafwu Secretary General Alfred Angula came under heavy pressure as he strenuously explained the rationale for entering into talks with the farm owner “instead of taking the law into our own hands”.”Comrades, why should we say no if the man is willing to negotiate.If he had refused to talk to us that would have been a different scenario …let us give this agreement a chance, and work step by step until we reach our objective” said Angula.”There is no way as general secretary that I could sign an agreement that does not favour you, the workers.”But the protesters maintained that, apart from deviating from the original plan to take the farm, they had not given the Nafwu leadership a mandate to sign the agreement.”Comrade Angula you signed this agreement without us.We are not happy because you promised us that you won’t sign any paper.Now you went to the whites and signed this document.Why should we accept it,” charged 61-year old farm labourer Amalwa Shimwandi.Another worker, Katuu Kondio (43), who had travelled more than 50 kilometres from another farm to take part in the planned forceful occupation, expressed disappointment that the original plan had been ditched.”They [the union leaders] told us a couple of weeks ago that we will come here and hand [over] a petition with our demands to the farmer.If he does not agree with us then he must pack his belongings and leave the land,” Kondio said.She added:”Surprisingly, today the union is speaking a completely new language.They are now telling us negotiations, negotiations which were never part of our agenda.”In terms of the agreement, elderly workers over the age of 50 and their spouses will stay on the farm for the rest of their lives, while children will be allowed to stay with their parents on the farm until they are 16 years old.The farmworkers argued that they cannot allow their children to be “dumped” away from them because at the age of 16 the children are not necessarily ready to face life on their own.Angula said the agreement had not been finalised and the clause was still subject to further negotiations.The owner of the farm, Harry Schneider-Waterberg, expressed delight that the matter was resolved without violence, and expressed his willingness to co-operate with the union to find a lasting solution.”The entire farming community and the rest of the world is watching us in eagerness.Let’s move ahead with the engagement.We have started to address the problem.We have to do things with mutual respect for one another and within the framework of the law,” he said.Schneider-Waterberg said that the unlawful occupation of farms could not be the solution to the labour problems in the commercial farm sector as it would only harm the economy.”It is illegal, and it’s not good for the country’s tourism and the whole economy.I am very happy that our Government is serious about keeping law and order,” said the farmer.About three weeks ago Namibian farmworkers, frustrated at the slow pace of land redistribution and what they termed exploitation by their employers, set October 16 as the deadline for “the forceful” occupation of some white-owned farms.After Okonzongominja, the workers had vowed to take a farm in the Outjo district where a black person was shot dead after he was apparently mistaken for a baboon.Other farms identified for possible occupation also included farm KrumHuk on the outskirts of Windhoek and other farm in the Grootfontein district where an employer allegedly squeezed a labourer’s private parts with a cattle prodder.The agreement, which paved the way for a negotiated settlement, was received with mixed feelings by the farmworkers.Some accused the union leaders of “selling them out” to white farmers, while others carried placards declaring ‘We reject the agreement’.Nafwu Secretary General Alfred Angula came under heavy pressure as he strenuously explained the rationale for entering into talks with the farm owner “instead of taking the law into our own hands”.”Comrades, why should we say no if the man is willing to negotiate.If he had refused to talk to us that would have been a different scenario …let us give this agreement a chance, and work step by step until we reach our objective” said Angula.”There is no way as general secretary that I could sign an agreement that does not favour you, the workers.”But the protesters maintained that, apart from deviating from the original plan to take the farm, they had not given the Nafwu leadership a mandate to sign the agreement.”Comrade Angula you signed this agreement without us.We are not happy because you promised us that you won’t sign any paper.Now you went to the whites and signed this document.Why should we accept it,” charged 61-year old farm labourer Amalwa Shimwandi.Another worker, Katuu Kondio (43), who had travelled more than 50 kilometres from another farm to take part in the planned forceful occupation, expressed disappointment that the original plan had been ditched.”They [the union leaders] told us a couple of weeks ago that we will come here and hand [over] a petition with our demands to the farmer.If he does not agree with us then he must pack his belongings and leave the land,” Kondio said.She added:”Surprisingly, today the union is speaking a completely new language.They are now telling us negotiations, negotiations which were never part of our agenda.”In terms of the agreement, elderly workers over the age of 50 and their spouses will stay on the farm for the rest of their lives, while children will be allowed to stay with their parents on the farm until they are 16 years old.The farmworkers argued that they cannot allow their children to be “dumped” away from them because at the age of 16 the children are not necessarily ready to face life on their own.Angula said the agreement had not been finalised and the clause was still subject to further negotiations.The owner of the farm, Harry Schneider-Waterberg, expressed delight that the matter was resolved without violence, and expressed his willingness to co-operate with the union to find a lasting solution.”The entire farming community and the rest of the world is watching us in eagerness.Let’s move ahead with the engagement.We have started to address the problem.We have to do things with mutual respect for one another and within the framework of the law,” he said.Schneider-Waterberg said that the unlawful occupation of farms could not be the solution to the labour problems in the commercial farm sector as it would only harm the economy.”It is illegal, and it’s not good for the country’s tourism and the whole economy.I am very happy that our Government is serious about keeping law and order,” said the farmer.About three weeks ago Namibian farmworkers, frustrated at the slow pace of land redistribution and what they termed exploitation by their employers, set October 16 as the deadline for “the forceful” occupation of some white-owned farms.After Okonzongominja, the workers had vowed to take a farm in the Outjo district where a black person was shot dead after he was apparently mistaken for a baboon.Other farms identified for possible occupation also included farm KrumHuk on the outskirts of Windhoek and other farm in the Grootfontein district where an employer allegedly squeezed a labourer’s private parts with a cattle prodder.