Community farm ‘commandeered’, residents face a barbed future

THE future of some 600 Nama people who have lived on a farm near Dordabis for nearly a century has been plunged into uncertainty – most of the grazing is being fenced off and they have to pay a N$50 grazing fee per animal per month to two men who claim to be the owners.

The farm was once part of the ‘Rehoboth Gebiet’ and was communal land belonging to the Baster community, which settled in and around Rehoboth in 1870. After Independence, Government claimed the land.Article 100 of the Namibian Constitution however stipulates that “land, water and natural resources below and above the surface of the land (…) shall belong to the State if they are not otherwise lawfully owned.”A bitter legal dispute between the Baster community and the State ensued, as they not only lost their land but also their traditional self-governance under their century-old Voorvaderlike Wette (ancestral laws).Baster leaders under the late Kaptein Hans Diergaardt lost the court case in 1997 after seven years.It appears as if the Stinkwater farm was proclaimed some time back in the apartheid era, but a visit to the Deeds Office on Tuesday brought to light that all official documents of farms in the Rehoboth area had been moved to that town some years ago.However, an official in the Lands Ministry told The Namibian that Stinkwater was not State property, but privately owned and recently had been renamed ‘Verdruk’.A visit to the farm on Tuesday revealed that the farm belongs to a family named Cloete, and that the fencing, which started about two weeks ago, was done by the brothers of the Cloete family.They were not at the farm on Tuesday.Some community members however told The Namibian that Petrus and Matroos Cloete were doing the fencing.Petrus Cloete is apparently doing it because his girlfriend is a descendant of one of the founders of Stinkwater.Matroos Cloete’s mother still lives on the farm and this is the apparent reason for him claiming an area.’BORN HERE’ Oupa Benjamin Vleermuis told The Namibian that he was born on the Farm Stinkwater west of Dordabis in the Rehoboth district 94 years ago.He has lived and farmed on the land all his life, along with other members of the Stinkwater community who today total about 600 Nama people, most of whom were born on the farm.”It was a communal area with goats, cattle, sheep and donkeys roaming freely in the veld grazing,” the bedridden Vleermuis said, assisted by his 69-year-old daughter Maria.”Now the two men are fencing off a huge piece of the land and want to charge the community N$50 per head of cattle for grazing.We cannot afford that.”With parts of the fence already erected, the livestock are now forced to graze among the houses and shacks where there is hardly any grass.The community was never consulted about the land ownership and the new fence and they are uncertain what will happen to them and their animals, as they are a very impoverished community.”In all my life I have never seen something like this happen,” Vleermuis told The Namibian.He remembers that shortly after Independence the Stinkwater community was called to Rehoboth where they met with the late Kaptein Diergaardt and the then Prime Minster Hage Geingob.Vleermuis said they did not know what the meeting entailed until Diergaardt got up and said to Geingob: “Today I give the land to the man who won.”This was a turning point, as only Baster people were allowed to legally live on farms in the area.They all had papers giving them living/occupational rights on Stinkwater.In his and his daughter’s view, the land was given to Government and it became State property, but all occupants could continue to live there legally.The Nama people never received living rights papers, but were told that they could stay on.”Government should do something and help us, where else can we go?” Maria Vleermuis said.The community had asked Khomas Rural Regional Councillor Frederick Ari to act, but nothing happened, they claimed.Ari could not be reached fro comment yesterday.Ursula Aribes, whose family has lived at Stinkwater for half a century, said she had documents which granted her family occupational rights.”That cannot be taken away from us,” she emphasised.Additional reporting by Brigitte WeidlichAfter Independence, Government claimed the land.Article 100 of the Namibian Constitution however stipulates that “land, water and natural resources below and above the surface of the land (…) shall belong to the State if they are not otherwise lawfully owned.”A bitter legal dispute between the Baster community and the State ensued, as they not only lost their land but also their traditional self-governance under their century-old Voorvaderlike Wette (ancestral laws).Baster leaders under the late Kaptein Hans Diergaardt lost the court case in 1997 after seven years.It appears as if the Stinkwater farm was proclaimed some time back in the apartheid era, but a visit to the Deeds Office on Tuesday brought to light that all official documents of farms in the Rehoboth area had been moved to that town some years ago.However, an official in the Lands Ministry told The Namibian that Stinkwater was not State property, but privately owned and recently had been renamed ‘Verdruk’.A visit to the farm on Tuesday revealed that the farm belongs to a family named Cloete, and that the fencing, which started about two weeks ago, was done by the brothers of the Cloete family.They were not at the farm on Tuesday.Some community members however told The Namibian that Petrus and Matroos Cloete were doing the fencing.Petrus Cloete is apparently doing it because his girlfriend is a descendant of one of the founders of Stinkwater.Matroos Cloete’s mother still lives on the farm and this is the apparent reason for him claiming an area.’BORN HERE’ Oupa Benjamin Vleermuis told The Namibian that he was born on the Farm Stinkwater west of Dordabis in the Rehoboth district 94 years ago.He has lived and farmed on the land all his life, along with other members of the Stinkwater community who today total about 600 Nama people, most of whom were born on the farm.”It was a communal area with goats, cattle, sheep and donkeys roaming freely in the veld grazing,” the bedridden Vleermuis said, assisted by his 69-year-old daughter Maria.”Now the two men are fencing off a huge piece of the land and want to charge the community N$50 per head of cattle for grazing.We cannot afford that.”With parts of the fence already erected, the livestock are now forced to graze among the houses and shacks where there is hardly any grass.The community was never consulted about the land ownership and the new fence and they are uncertain what will happen to them and their animals, as they are a very impoverished community.”In all my life I have never seen something like this happen,” Vleermuis told The Namibian.He remembers that shortly after Independence the Stinkwater community was called to Rehoboth where they met with the late Kaptein Diergaardt and the then Prime Minster Hage Geingob.Vleermuis said they did not know what the meeting entailed until Diergaardt got up and said to Geingob: “Today I give the land to the man who won.”This was a turning point, as only Baster people were allowed to legally live on farms in the area.They all had papers giving them living/occupational rights on Stinkwater.In his and his daughter’s view, the land was given to Government and it became State property, but all occupants could continue to live there legally.The Nama people never received living rights papers, but were told that they could stay on.”Government should do something and help us, where else can we go?” Maria Vleermuis said.The community had asked Khomas Rural Regional Councillor Frederick Ari to act, but nothing happened, they claimed.Ari could not be reached fro comment yesterday.Ursula Aribes, whose family has lived at Stinkwater for half a century, said she had documents which granted her family occupational rights.”That cannot be taken away from us,” she emphasised.Additional reporting by Brigitte Weidlich

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.