Emergency meeting to be called over cattle crisis

NOT only are Oshiwambo-speaking farmers continuing to defy a directive by Government to remove their cattle from west Kavango, some who did leave last week are now moving their herds back into the area.

As a result, Ukwangali Chief Sitentu Mpasi is unlikely to give the farmers more time to remove their 60 000 cattle – the original deadline was October 29. An emergency meeting of Regional Councillors is now planned.The Governor of Kavango, John Thighuru, and Major General Tuweefeni M’lukeni of the Police, who both sent teams to the grazing area to monitor the situation, yesterday confirmed that farmers are refusing to budge.The Namibian also learnt that some farmers who left the area last week are moving their cattle back into the Ukwangali area in west Kavango.Chief Mpasi is reported to be very unhappy about the situation.While many Oshiwambo-speaking farmers were granted permission to graze their cattle in west Kavango, other farmers moved in illegally, leading to the present stand-off.Governor Thighuru told The Namibian that the Kavango Regional Police commander, Chief Inspector Olavi Auanga, had informed him that many farmers are refusing to move.Asked what the next step will be, the Governor told The Namibian that he will call an emergency meeting with all Regional Councillors to discuss this matter, because Chief Mpasi is very frustrated and wants the cattle out as soon as possible.Thiguru said it is now unlikely that Chief Mpasi will give the farmers more time to organise the cattle drive.”Action will be taken after I have met with my Councillors and the Regional Police Commander has fully reported to us on the situation in the field,” Thighuru said.A source from Chief Mpasi’s village told The Namibian that the Chief was not in the village yesterday.”He headed to those grazing areas, but I do not know whether he went the concerned farming areas,” the source said.Farmer Erastus Sakarias told The Namibian on Wednesday that he had seen men from Mpasi’s village heading towards the grazing area.He added that many of the Oshiwambo-speaking farmers and cattle herders in the area were armed with traditional weapons such as bows and arrows, kieries and knives.”I don’t know what will happen if their paths cross,” Sakarias said.But Major General M’lukeni says the Police in the area have the situation under control and will prevent any violence from flaring up.”I don’t think that there will be problems again,” M’lukeni said.Meanwhile, the spokesman for a group of Oshiwambo-speaking farmers who demonstrated at Eenhana on Monday, Naftal Kayofa, says they have heard nothing from the Government yet.The farmers asked the Government to provide grazing areas for their cattle in the former Owambo, saying they have nowhere to go because the area bordering on Kavango has been fenced off by rich farmers.An emergency meeting of Regional Councillors is now planned.The Governor of Kavango, John Thighuru, and Major General Tuweefeni M’lukeni of the Police, who both sent teams to the grazing area to monitor the situation, yesterday confirmed that farmers are refusing to budge.The Namibian also learnt that some farmers who left the area last week are moving their cattle back into the Ukwangali area in west Kavango. Chief Mpasi is reported to be very unhappy about the situation.While many Oshiwambo-speaking farmers were granted permission to graze their cattle in west Kavango, other farmers moved in illegally, leading to the present stand-off.Governor Thighuru told The Namibian that the Kavango Regional Police commander, Chief Inspector Olavi Auanga, had informed him that many farmers are refusing to move.Asked what the next step will be, the Governor told The Namibian that he will call an emergency meeting with all Regional Councillors to discuss this matter, because Chief Mpasi is very frustrated and wants the cattle out as soon as possible.Thiguru said it is now unlikely that Chief Mpasi will give the farmers more time to organise the cattle drive.”Action will be taken after I have met with my Councillors and the Regional Police Commander has fully reported to us on the situation in the field,” Thighuru said.A source from Chief Mpasi’s village told The Namibian that the Chief was not in the village yesterday.”He headed to those grazing areas, but I do not know whether he went the concerned farming areas,” the source said.Farmer Erastus Sakarias told The Namibian on Wednesday that he had seen men from Mpasi’s village heading towards the grazing area.He added that many of the Oshiwambo-speaking farmers and cattle herders in the area were armed with traditional weapons such as bows and arrows, kieries and knives.”I don’t know what will happen if their paths cross,” Sakarias said.But Major General M’lukeni says the Police in the area have the situation under control and will prevent any violence from flaring up.”I don’t think that there will be problems again,” M’lukeni said.Meanwhile, the spokesman for a group of Oshiwambo-speaking farmers who demonstrated at Eenhana on Monday, Naftal Kayofa, says they have heard nothing from the Government yet.The farmers asked the Government to provide grazing areas for their cattle in the former Owambo, saying they have nowhere to go because the area bordering on Kavango has been fenced off by rich farmers.