Livestock farmers in Sheya shUushona conservancy in Otamanzi constituency in Omusati region are against the fencing off of the grazing area which includes the Ongandjera salt pan aka Ekango.
According to the farmers, the area is being fenced off by Sheya shUushona conservancy and its Italian investors.
The area borders Etosha National Park to the north.
The process to fence off the area started mid last month, farmers said.
Farmers told The Namibian this week that they have not been consulted by either the conservancy leadership or by the Italian investors about the plan to fence off the salt pan and its surrounding areas.
They claimed that they were surprised to see excavators clearing the area where the fence will allegedly be erected.
The excavators are also said to have entered a private farm in the area without the owner’s consent.
Farmers claim that is the only area they have to graze their animals.
One of the farmers, Erastus Eliakim (69), described the fencing off of the area as an attempt by the traditional authority to kill the farmers.
Eliakim said he has grazed his animals in the area since 1971.
“The salt pan should not be fenced off. Where are we going to get salt from and where are we going to graze our animals?” he asked.
Another farmer, Malakia Shimooshili, said the area being fenced off measures about 20 000 hectares.
He said that the farmers will not allow the area to be fenced off, as this will result in many animals dying.
Shimooshili said some farmers in Omusati have started moving to Uuvudhiya areas in Oshana region for grazing.
Another farmer, Jeremia Sheende (69), who has been grazing his animals in the area for 23 years, said fencing off the area would be detrimental to the livestock.
Two weeks ago, Kuugongelwa Farmers Association chairperson Sam Kandjimwena wrote to the Omusati Communal Land Board complaining about the fencing off of the area.
“The illegal fencing of a large area comprising the commonage and grazing area will have a negative effect on livestock farming due to the looming drought and livestock enclosed within the fence will be lost, stolen or die,” Kandjimwena said.
“The farmers who are directly affected as well as the entire Ongandjera community are not rejecting the conservancy, but they are rejecting the illegal fencing of that particular area including the salt pan,” he added.
On Monday, about 200 farmers convened at Ekango for a meeting with the Omusati Communal Land Board. However, only 10 people were allowed to attend the meeting.
Journalists who were invited by the farmers to the meeting were also prevented from attending the meeting by officials of the Omusati Communal Land Board and Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform.
The Namibian could not get comments from Sheya shUushona conservancy chairperson Hilda Haipinge as she said she was travelling.
Spokesperson of Ongandjera Traditional Authority Sakeus Shangula told The Namibian yesterday that he was not aware of the matter as he was in Windhoek.
Ongandjera chief Johannes Mupiya referred The Namibian to the aggrieved farmers yesterday.
The conservancy was registered in 2005 and the following year founding president Sam Nujoma was appointed as patron of the conservancy.
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