OSHIWAMBO-SPEAKING farmers who have been ordered to remove their cattle from west Kavango say they will not budge unless Government and the Ondonga and Oukwanyama Traditional Authorities give them a place in former Owambo to settle with their animals.
“If there is no other way to find a place for us to settle, then we are not moving out of Kavango, whatever the cost, or else we are going to add to the skeletons of our brothers at the Eenhana military base,” the farmers said in a petition yesterday. They were referring to the mass graves which have been found at Eenhana and elsewhere in the North over the past two weeks.The skeletal remains in the graves are believed to be mainly those of Swapo fighters, dating back to the pre-Independence era.Following a demonstration at Omuthiyagwiipundi yesterday, the farmers handed their petition to the Chief Executive Officer of Omuthiya Constituency, Samuel Mbango, who received it on behalf of the Omuthiya Constituency Councillor Penda Ndakolo, who is also the Governor of Oshikoto Region.An estimated 400 farmers took part in the protest, giving vent to their frustrations by dancing, brandishing placards and chanting.Farmers with cattle in west Kavango have been given until Saturday to remove their animals or face legal consequences.Eviction orders were served on them last Saturday.”Let us be realistic and not fool ourselves, there is no a place to graze our animals in eastern Ondonga and Oukwanyama traditional authorities at the moment, because the area is full of large farms that have been fenced off, and everybody, even the Government, knows about that,” the farmers said.”We also would like the Government to know that we got into Kavango legally, and not illegally as is being said today,” the farmers said in the petition, which was read out by Marx Itamalo.The farmers said they had no problem with removing their livestock from Kavango, but a grazing area had to be found for them in the eastern part of the former Owambo.They suggested that two quarantine camps – one in the Oukwanyama traditional area and the other in eastern Ondonga traditional area – could be the solution to the problem.The farmers also want Government to open up land in communal areas which has been illegally fenced off.They say the fences are blocking their route home from west Kavango to the former Owambo area.Oshiwambo-speaking farmers are believed to have at least 60 000 cattle in west Kavango.While some farmers first sought permission to graze their animals in the Ukwangali area in west Kavango, over the years other livestock owners are said to have moved their cattle into the area without getting approval.This has led to problems with residents in the area.The farmers called upon Government to give an answer to their demands within 24 hours.Meanwhile, some cattle owners claimed to The Namibian that Kavango people armed with machine guns are moving around in western Kavango, threatening Oshiwambo-speaking herders to leave the area immediately or risk the consequences.The claims could not be independently verified.Onesimus Valombola, said four of his cattle had been shot with arrows during the weekend.One farmer, Ndaameshime Shipalashomoongo, said three of his cows died when his cattle herders tried to move them out of Kavango.”The three cows left three calves, which I now have to feed myself,” said Shiapalashomoongo.Many of the farmers blame the Mangetti Farmers’ Association, to which they belong, for not really supporting them in their difficult situation.They were referring to the mass graves which have been found at Eenhana and elsewhere in the North over the past two weeks.The skeletal remains in the graves are believed to be mainly those of Swapo fighters, dating back to the pre-Independence era.Following a demonstration at Omuthiyagwiipundi yesterday, the farmers handed their petition to the Chief Executive Officer of Omuthiya Constituency, Samuel Mbango, who received it on behalf of the Omuthiya Constituency Councillor Penda Ndakolo, who is also the Governor of Oshikoto Region.An estimated 400 farmers took part in the protest, giving vent to their frustrations by dancing, brandishing placards and chanting.Farmers with cattle in west Kavango have been given until Saturday to remove their animals or face legal consequences.Eviction orders were served on them last Saturday.”Let us be realistic and not fool ourselves, there is no a place to graze our animals in eastern Ondonga and Oukwanyama traditional authorities at the moment, because the area is full of large farms that have been fenced off, and everybody, even the Government, knows about that,” the farmers said.”We also would like the Government to know that we got into Kavango legally, and not illegally as is being said today,” the farmers said in the petition, which was read out by Marx Itamalo. The farmers said they had no problem with removing their livestock from Kavango, but a grazing area had to be found for them in the eastern part of the former Owambo.They suggested that two quarantine camps – one in the Oukwanyama traditional area and the other in eastern Ondonga traditional area – could be the solution to the problem.The farmers also want Government to open up land in communal areas which has been illegally fenced off.They say the fences are blocking their route home from west Kavango to the former Owambo area.Oshiwambo-speaking farmers are believed to have at least 60 000 cattle in west Kavango.While some farmers first sought permission to graze their animals in the Ukwangali area in west Kavango, over the years other livestock owners are said to have moved their cattle into the area without getting approval.This has led to problems with residents in the area.The farmers called upon Government to give an answer to their demands within 24 hours.Meanwhile, some cattle owners claimed to The Namibian that Kavango people armed with machine guns are moving around in western Kavango, threatening Oshiwambo-speaking herders to leave the area immediately or risk the consequences.The claims could not be independently verified.Onesimus Valombola, said four of his cattle had been shot with arrows during the weekend.One farmer, Ndaameshime Shipalashomoongo, said three of his cows died when his cattle herders tried to move them out of Kavango.”The three cows left three calves, which I now have to feed myself,” said Shiapalashomoongo. Many of the farmers blame the Mangetti Farmers’ Association, to which they belong, for not really supporting them in their difficult situation.
