Farmers, 60 000 cattle ordered out of Kavango

Minister of Safety and Security Peter Tshirumbu Tsheehama on Saturday ordered all Oshiwambo-speaking farmers – as well as about 60 000 cattle – who are illegally in western Kavango to immediately go back to the former Owambo area.

Tsheehama told a meeting organised by the Mangetti Farmers’ Association at Oluno in Ondangwa that the Cabinet had held an emergency meeting on the western Kavango farming issue. He said it had been decided that in order to rescue the situation, all those Oshiwambo-speaking farmers who are farming there illegally must leave immediately.Tsheehama said he had been sent to see the Chief of Ondonga, Immanuel Kauluma Elifas, Chairman of the Council of Traditional Leaders in Namibia, the Chairman of the Traditional Leaders in the former Owambo, Herman Iipumbu, who is also the Chief of the Uukwambi Traditional Authority as well as the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority, and told them about Government’s decision.”I have seen all these Traditional Authority leaders and tomorrow (Sunday) I am going to see Chief Sitentu Mpasi to tell him and his traditional authority about the Government decision and also to bring this message to all concerned farmers,” Tsheehama said.INSULTS ‘OUT OF ORDER’ “The Government has taken note with great concern that some Oshiwambo-speaking farmers went to farm in the western part of Kavango without the knowledge of the Ukwangali Traditional Authority of Chief Mpasi,” he said.”This, dear farmers, is not acceptable, because, although the Constitution has said that we can live everywhere in Namibia, we have to apply to the local authorities for permission to live where we want to settle or live,” the Minister said.”We cannot just stand up and go and settle where we want without the authorisation of that local authority,” Tsheehama told the farmers.Tsheehama told the meeting that Government had also heard that Oshiwambo-speaking farmers were insulting Chief Mpasi and his people and calling them various names.”We have also heard that a certain man gave himself a title of headman in Chief Mpasi’s traditional authority area, without his permission.This is unacceptable to the Chief and is now a great concern to him too,” Tsheehama told the meeting.The Namibian learned from a source later that the man the Minister mentioned but did not name is Gabriel Nehanga, a Swapo Co-ordinator in Oluhepo area in Ukwangali district.Earlier the Governor of Kavango, John Thighuru, told The Namibian that Chief Mpasi had decided that all Oshiwambo-speaking farmers had to go back to Oukwanyama and Ondonga and reapply for grazing again.Tsheehama told the meeting that the King of Ondonga, Kauluma Elifas, had told him to ask Chief Mpasi to give the farmers two to three months to organise their move.King Elifas apparently feels that there are more than 60 000 cattle in the area and their owners need time to organise themselves and also to speak to their Ondonga and Oukwanyama Traditional Authorities for settlements.”I have also advised the King to send two or three of his Council members to meet with Chief Mpasi in this connection,” Tsheehama said.”I think, in the interest of all of us, we have to accept the decision of the Government, accept back those farmers and see where you can settle them.The population is also growing and we have to get our house in order,” Tsheehama told the farmers.He also advised rich farmers with many cattle to think about going to farm in commercial areas.”We have on several occasions applied to go and farm in commercial areas, but our applications never come back,” a farmer, Isack Nakale, told the Minister.The farmers, especially those who being chased out of Kavango, expressed disappointment with Government’s decision.”I think the Government has made a quick decision that can have far-reaching consequences,” the Chairman of the Northern Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Phillip Amwele, told Tsheehama and the meeting.Martin Haikali, a senior member of the OFA, claimed that keeping the Kavango Region as it was in the colonial era let the Kavango-speaking people feel they had special jurisdiction over their land.Both Saima Hashikutuva and Titus Andreas told the meeting that they had been granted permission to use the land by the Ukwangali Traditional Authority.Now they have been told to move out of that area.”We have settled in that area since 1994, with the permission of Chief Mpasi’s Authority.We have moved out and our animals are now at the border of Oukwanyama and Ukwangali, at an area on the side of Ohangwena Region.There is no grass to graze or water to drink,” Hashikutuva, the wife of Pastor Adolf Hashikutuva of Eenhana Congregation, told the meeting.”We do not really know what to do now,” she added.She felt people needed time to organise themselves.Petrus Ndemuweda said that to say that farmers went into western Kavango without permission of the Authority there might not be true.According to him, all the farmers who are there have wells, and in order to have a well in western Kavango, you first have to dig a well for the local headman, in order to dig yours.”That is the traditional practice in western Kavango and all of our farmers and cattle herders have adhered to that practice, and in the same way they got permission to farm in western Kavango,” Ndemuweda said.Some farmers were also not happy about the burning of their kraals and other property.They said this was done in the presence of the Police, who just looked on without taking any action against the culprits.He said it had been decided that in order to rescue the situation, all those Oshiwambo-speaking farmers who are farming there illegally must leave immediately.Tsheehama said he had been sent to see the Chief of Ondonga, Immanuel Kauluma Elifas, Chairman of the Council of Traditional Leaders in Namibia, the Chairman of the Traditional Leaders in the former Owambo, Herman Iipumbu, who is also the Chief of the Uukwambi Traditional Authority as well as the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority, and told them about Government’s decision.”I have seen all these Traditional Authority leaders and tomorrow (Sunday) I am going to see Chief Sitentu Mpasi to tell him and his traditional authority about the Government decision and also to bring this message to all concerned farmers,” Tsheehama said.INSULTS ‘OUT OF ORDER’ “The Government has taken note with great concern that some Oshiwambo-speaking farmers went to farm in the western part of Kavango without the knowledge of the Ukwangali Traditional Authority of Chief Mpasi,” he said.”This, dear farmers, is not acceptable, because, although the Constitution has said that we can live everywhere in Namibia, we have to apply to the local authorities for permission to live where we want to settle or live,” the Minister said. “We cannot just stand up and go and settle where we want without the authorisation of that local authority,” Tsheehama told the farmers.Tsheehama told the meeting that Government had also heard that Oshiwambo-speaking farmers were insulting Chief Mpasi and his people and calling them various names.”We have also heard that a certain man gave himself a title of headman in Chief Mpasi’s traditional authority area, without his permission.This is unacceptable to the Chief and is now a great concern to him too,” Tsheehama told the meeting.The Namibian learned from a source later that the man the Minister mentioned but did not name is Gabriel Nehanga, a Swapo Co-ordinator in Oluhepo area in Ukwangali district.Earlier the Governor of Kavango, John Thighuru, told The Namibian that Chief Mpasi had decided that all Oshiwambo-speaking farmers had to go back to Oukwanyama and Ondonga and reapply for grazing again.Tsheehama told the meeting that the King of Ondonga, Kauluma Elifas, had told him to ask Chief Mpasi to give the farmers two to three months to organise their move.King Elifas apparently feels that there are more than 60 000 cattle in the area and their owners need time to organise themselves and also to speak to their Ondonga and Oukwanyama Traditional Authorities for settlements.”I have also advised the King to send two or three of his Co
uncil members to meet with Chief Mpasi in this connection,” Tsheehama said.”I think, in the interest of all of us, we have to accept the decision of the Government, accept back those farmers and see where you can settle them.The population is also growing and we have to get our house in order,” Tsheehama told the farmers.He also advised rich farmers with many cattle to think about going to farm in commercial areas.”We have on several occasions applied to go and farm in commercial areas, but our applications never come back,” a farmer, Isack Nakale, told the Minister.The farmers, especially those who being chased out of Kavango, expressed disappointment with Government’s decision.”I think the Government has made a quick decision that can have far-reaching consequences,” the Chairman of the Northern Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Phillip Amwele, told Tsheehama and the meeting.Martin Haikali, a senior member of the OFA, claimed that keeping the Kavango Region as it was in the colonial era let the Kavango-speaking people feel they had special jurisdiction over their land.Both Saima Hashikutuva and Titus Andreas told the meeting that they had been granted permission to use the land by the Ukwangali Traditional Authority.Now they have been told to move out of that area.”We have settled in that area since 1994, with the permission of Chief Mpasi’s Authority.We have moved out and our animals are now at the border of Oukwanyama and Ukwangali, at an area on the side of Ohangwena Region.There is no grass to graze or water to drink,” Hashikutuva, the wife of Pastor Adolf Hashikutuva of Eenhana Congregation, told the meeting.”We do not really know what to do now,” she added.She felt people needed time to organise themselves.Petrus Ndemuweda said that to say that farmers went into western Kavango without permission of the Authority there might not be true.According to him, all the farmers who are there have wells, and in order to have a well in western Kavango, you first have to dig a well for the local headman, in order to dig yours.”That is the traditional practice in western Kavango and all of our farmers and cattle herders have adhered to that practice, and in the same way they got permission to farm in western Kavango,” Ndemuweda said.Some farmers were also not happy about the burning of their kraals and other property.They said this was done in the presence of the Police, who just looked on without taking any action against the culprits.