Farmers’ clique defiant

A GROUP of white commercial farmers, meeting under the banner of the Namibia Farmers Support Initiative (NFSI), have vowed to “fight” Government’s plans to expropriate land.

Around 30 farmers, most of whom appeared to be agitated by the procedures Government is following in identifying farms for expropriation, said they would pool resources to prevent the State from dealing with individuals. They expressed fears that if they ignored the plight of individuals, Government would ultimately deal with all of them singly, as had happened in Zimbabwe.”Fight or go.We will not lie down or crawl.We will fight for what our ancestors gave us so that we leave it for our children,” said George Friedrich, one of the conveners of the meeting.They met in the Gobabis Deutsche Halle.Some placards displayed in the hall read: ‘Genoeg is nou genoeg’ (enough is enough); ‘Kameraden vereinigt’ (comrades united); ‘Owamboland, Namaland, Hereroland, Kavangoland. Ons soek nou blankeland’ (We want land for whites); ‘Pohamba gee vir die blankes die nie-lewensvaatbare gronde’ (Pohamba give the whites the unproductive land); and ‘Justice for all, not just a select few’.Friedrich, a farmer and businessman, said they had decided to “fight” ‘Robber’ Mugabe-style land acquisition and to expose what he described as Government’s efforts to discredit farmers.Speaking in Afrikaans, he said farmers in Zimbabwe had tried to negotiate with that country’s government but ultimately had had to let go of their land because President Robert Mugabe had never been interested in settling it amicably.”As if it is any different in Namibia… can anything be different here? Mugabe used the farms as payment to chiefs who instructed their subjects to vote for Zanu-PF.Are we here also not on the same path?” asked Friedrich.He said there was a perception that Swapo won the fight for Namibia’s independence and that the whites were defeated militarily.”The whites in this country and in South Africa were never tired of war.The whites in this country were asked by political parties in 1978 to join the interim government,” he said, adding that anyone giving credit to Swapo for winning the war was “siende blind en horende doof” (blind while having eyes and deaf while having ears).The farmers expressed disappointment with the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU).They claimed that Jan de Wet’s union has failed them.”Mr de Wet told us that farms will not be expropriated.What is happening now? How can we believe them or the Government any longer,” said one farmer.Sigi Eimbeck of the Namibia Farmers Support Initiative (NFSI) said they were not opposed to expropriation but to the way the Government was handling the issue.He said the NFSI would expose Government’s political agenda to the outside world and claimed that the already identified farms were to be used as payment for Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba’s election as Swapo’s candidate for the presidency.Pohamba has denied that he used expropriation as a campaign tool.Sakkie Coetzee, who represented NAU at the meeting, said their union would continue to negotiate with Government.He said they wanted the State to clarify “public interest” as a criteria used to identify farms.A visibly angry Gerrit Hough said they would mobilise white farmers to march as Swapo members did whenever there was a labour dispute.”If you are ready to stand up, we will bury Swapo,” he charged, adding that he stood for the right of every white person.”Sam Nujoma is not a nice chap when it comes to the rights of his people.He is a racist.He fights for his people.If I do the same, I am labelled a racist,” he said.Hough’s harsh words drew criticism from the likes of Coetzee who walked out of the meeting, followed by some leaders of the NAU.Eimbeck also appealed to Hough not to indulge in hate speech.However, the damage had already been done and the meeting came to an abrupt end as most farmers left the building.They expressed fears that if they ignored the plight of individuals, Government would ultimately deal with all of them singly, as had happened in Zimbabwe.”Fight or go.We will not lie down or crawl.We will fight for what our ancestors gave us so that we leave it for our children,” said George Friedrich, one of the conveners of the meeting.They met in the Gobabis Deutsche Halle.Some placards displayed in the hall read: ‘Genoeg is nou genoeg’ (enough is enough); ‘Kameraden vereinigt’ (comrades united); ‘Owamboland, Namaland, Hereroland, Kavangoland. Ons soek nou blankeland’ (We want land for whites); ‘Pohamba gee vir die blankes die nie-lewensvaatbare gronde’ (Pohamba give the whites the unproductive land); and ‘Justice for all, not just a select few’.Friedrich, a farmer and businessman, said they had decided to “fight” ‘Robber’ Mugabe-style land acquisition and to expose what he described as Government’s efforts to discredit farmers.Speaking in Afrikaans, he said farmers in Zimbabwe had tried to negotiate with that country’s government but ultimately had had to let go of their land because President Robert Mugabe had never been interested in settling it amicably.”As if it is any different in Namibia… can anything be different here? Mugabe used the farms as payment to chiefs who instructed their subjects to vote for Zanu-PF.Are we here also not on the same path?” asked Friedrich.He said there was a perception that Swapo won the fight for Namibia’s independence and that the whites were defeated militarily.”The whites in this country and in South Africa were never tired of war.The whites in this country were asked by political parties in 1978 to join the interim government,” he said, adding that anyone giving credit to Swapo for winning the war was “siende blind en horende doof” (blind while having eyes and deaf while having ears).The farmers expressed disappointment with the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU).They claimed that Jan de Wet’s union has failed them.”Mr de Wet told us that farms will not be expropriated.What is happening now? How can we believe them or the Government any longer,” said one farmer.Sigi Eimbeck of the Namibia Farmers Support Initiative (NFSI) said they were not opposed to expropriation but to the way the Government was handling the issue.He said the NFSI would expose Government’s political agenda to the outside world and claimed that the already identified farms were to be used as payment for Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba’s election as Swapo’s candidate for the presidency.Pohamba has denied that he used expropriation as a campaign tool.Sakkie Coetzee, who represented NAU at the meeting, said their union would continue to negotiate with Government.He said they wanted the State to clarify “public interest” as a criteria used to identify farms.A visibly angry Gerrit Hough said they would mobilise white farmers to march as Swapo members did whenever there was a labour dispute.”If you are ready to stand up, we will bury Swapo,” he charged, adding that he stood for the right of every white person.”Sam Nujoma is not a nice chap when it comes to the rights of his people.He is a racist.He fights for his people.If I do the same, I am labelled a racist,” he said.Hough’s harsh words drew criticism from the likes of Coetzee who walked out of the meeting, followed by some leaders of the NAU.Eimbeck also appealed to Hough not to indulge in hate speech.However, the damage had already been done and the meeting came to an abrupt end as most farmers left the building.