Evicted farmers protest, demand grazing

A GROUP of Oshiwambo-speaking farmers evicted from western Kavango held a protest at Eenhana in the Ohangwena Region yesterday to demand that Government provide them with grazing for their cattle.

They say they fear that if the situation is not resolved, ethnic conflict could erupt. While some farmers have been grazing their cattle in west Kavango legally, many others moved in and settled there illegally – without getting the authorisation of the local authority.Following an emergency Cabinet meeting, Minister of Safety and Security Peter Tshirumbu Tsheehama ordered all Oshiwambo-speaking farmers – and their 60 000 cattle – to leave west Kavango immediately.Yesterday, the protesting farmers handed over a petition, read out by the group’s leader, Naftal Kayofa, to Governor Usko Nghaamwa.In it the farmers said they were not against Government’s decision that they had to remove their livestock from western Kavango.However they feel that Government took the decision without knowing that there was no place for their cattle in the former Owambo.They also feel that they were not given enough time to move their herds.Last Monday, Chief Sitentu Mpasi of the Ukwangali set Saturday, October 29, as the deadline for the cattle to be moved.The Oshiwambo-speaking farmers say they have many cattle, goats, sheep, donkeys and horses and it is very difficult to move them at such short notice.”We feel very unhappy about this situation.Some of us went to Kavango in 1990 and settled there with permission, and suddenly we are being chased out without a proper reason,” the petition said.”We are asking our Government to place us where we are going to stay, at least where there is water and grazing for our animals,” the farmers said.”We also want that 50 km by 200 km strip that was given to us, the Ovakwanyama, by the Kavango Chief, which has been taken away by the Ondonga Traditional Authority, to be returned to us immediately, and all fences inside it to be removed immediately so that we can get an area to graze our cattle,” the petition stated.”We urgently need this situation to be resolved before ethnic conflict erupts,” the petition added.In a separate interview, Kayofa told The Namibian that they had heard that the Police and NDF had gone into western Kavango yesterday and are forcing farmers to leave.The Namibian was unable to confirm this at the time of going to press.While some farmers have been grazing their cattle in west Kavango legally, many others moved in and settled there illegally – without getting the authorisation of the local authority.Following an emergency Cabinet meeting, Minister of Safety and Security Peter Tshirumbu Tsheehama ordered all Oshiwambo-speaking farmers – and their 60 000 cattle – to leave west Kavango immediately.Yesterday, the protesting farmers handed over a petition, read out by the group’s leader, Naftal Kayofa, to Governor Usko Nghaamwa. In it the farmers said they were not against Government’s decision that they had to remove their livestock from western Kavango.However they feel that Government took the decision without knowing that there was no place for their cattle in the former Owambo.They also feel that they were not given enough time to move their herds.Last Monday, Chief Sitentu Mpasi of the Ukwangali set Saturday, October 29, as the deadline for the cattle to be moved.The Oshiwambo-speaking farmers say they have many cattle, goats, sheep, donkeys and horses and it is very difficult to move them at such short notice.”We feel very unhappy about this situation.Some of us went to Kavango in 1990 and settled there with permission, and suddenly we are being chased out without a proper reason,” the petition said.”We are asking our Government to place us where we are going to stay, at least where there is water and grazing for our animals,” the farmers said.”We also want that 50 km by 200 km strip that was given to us, the Ovakwanyama, by the Kavango Chief, which has been taken away by the Ondonga Traditional Authority, to be returned to us immediately, and all fences inside it to be removed immediately so that we can get an area to graze our cattle,” the petition stated.”We urgently need this situation to be resolved before ethnic conflict erupts,” the petition added.In a separate interview, Kayofa told The Namibian that they had heard that the Police and NDF had gone into western Kavango yesterday and are forcing farmers to leave.The Namibian was unable to confirm this at the time of going to press.