Cattle herders stuck on the border

CATTLE herders evicted from the Ukwangali district in western Kavango are finding themselves between a rock and a hard place.

Many of the farmers and their herds are stranded on the border between the Okavango and Ohangwena regions, where there is not enough grass and water for the cattle. Some of them have even crossed the border into southern Angola to find grazing, but have been told by the Angolan authorities to move.The Oshiwambo-speaking farmers say there is nowhere for their cattle to graze in the former Owambo, as most of the land is fenced off and local farmers do not want them there.They are not welcome in the Kavango Region either – Police are now enforcing eviction orders that have been ignored since November last year.One of the cattle owners, Elifas Johannes, told The Namibian yesterday that even farmers who had been in the Kavango with the permission of local headmen are being driven out by the Police.The spokesperson for the Oshiwambo-speaking cattle farmers in western Kavango, Vilho Hamunyela, said yesterday that the Police operation had reached the Tsatsalima grazing area in the Wiwi district of western Kavango.”We really do not know what to do, because we are being chased away from Kavango to go back to former Owambo, where there is no place for us to graze our cattle, and in southern Angola we are being told to go back and get permission.Where are we going to now?” Hamunyela said.When approached for comment, the Chief of Operations in the Namibian Police, Major General Tuweefeni M’lukeni, said the Police would continue enforcing the eviction orders until all illegal settlers were out of Kavango.He said he was not aware of claims that Police were evicting farmers who had not been served with eviction orders.The grazing dispute in western Kavango has been simmering for three years, since the chief of the Ukwangali tribe, Sitentu Mpasi, ordered Oshiwambo-speaking farmers to remove their estimated 60 000 head of cattle from his tribal area.The herders have refused to budge, even after eviction orders were issued last November.Some of them have even crossed the border into southern Angola to find grazing, but have been told by the Angolan authorities to move.The Oshiwambo-speaking farmers say there is nowhere for their cattle to graze in the former Owambo, as most of the land is fenced off and local farmers do not want them there.They are not welcome in the Kavango Region either – Police are now enforcing eviction orders that have been ignored since November last year.One of the cattle owners, Elifas Johannes, told The Namibian yesterday that even farmers who had been in the Kavango with the permission of local headmen are being driven out by the Police.The spokesperson for the Oshiwambo-speaking cattle farmers in western Kavango, Vilho Hamunyela, said yesterday that the Police operation had reached the Tsatsalima grazing area in the Wiwi district of western Kavango.”We really do not know what to do, because we are being chased away from Kavango to go back to former Owambo, where there is no place for us to graze our cattle, and in southern Angola we are being told to go back and get permission.Where are we going to now?” Hamunyela said.When approached for comment, the Chief of Operations in the Namibian Police, Major General Tuweefeni M’lukeni, said the Police would continue enforcing the eviction orders until all illegal settlers were out of Kavango.He said he was not aware of claims that Police were evicting farmers who had not been served with eviction orders.The grazing dispute in western Kavango has been simmering for three years, since the chief of the Ukwangali tribe, Sitentu Mpasi, ordered Oshiwambo-speaking farmers to remove their estimated 60 000 head of cattle from his tribal area.The herders have refused to budge, even after eviction orders were issued last November.