Farmworkers at odds with former Police General

FARMWORKERS on an expropriated commercial farm near Otjiwarongo fear they will be evicted after allegedly receiving threats that they would be removed by lorry.

The farm Marburg, together with farm Okorusu, was expropriated last year. Both farms belonged to Heidi Lacheiner-Kuhn.She received compensation of over N$9 million.Fourteen labourers, seven pensioners and their families – altogether 60 people – remained on the farm with nowhere else to go.One of the new resettlement beneficiaries on Marburg is Fritz Nghiishililwa, the former Deputy Inspector General of Police.The farm labourers have applied for resettlement at their former place of work, but to no avail.”Two labourers of Nghiishililwa told us on Monday we had to pack and would be carted away in a truck,” one of the former farm labourers, who did not want to be named, told The Namibian yesterday.”We are so afraid.Where will they take us?” the person said.But Nghiishililwa yesterday denied any involvement.”Resettlement beneficiaries do not have the mandate to tell farmworkers of the previous owners to leave a farm,” he told The Namibian.”I am also not aware that anyone of our group of five beneficiaries would have said something like that.”Nghiishililwa added that he and four other people were first resettled on the farm Cleveland but had had to move as it was decided that a cement factory would be built there.”We were then given a portion of Marburg.”Nghiishililwa himself lives in Windhoek and not on Marburg.No agreement of sale has been signed between former owner Lacheiner-Kuhn and the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement yet; nor has an arrangement been finalised on retrenchment packages for the former farmworkers.Both farms belonged to Heidi Lacheiner-Kuhn.She received compensation of over N$9 million.Fourteen labourers, seven pensioners and their families – altogether 60 people – remained on the farm with nowhere else to go.One of the new resettlement beneficiaries on Marburg is Fritz Nghiishililwa, the former Deputy Inspector General of Police.The farm labourers have applied for resettlement at their former place of work, but to no avail. “Two labourers of Nghiishililwa told us on Monday we had to pack and would be carted away in a truck,” one of the former farm labourers, who did not want to be named, told The Namibian yesterday.”We are so afraid.Where will they take us?” the person said.But Nghiishililwa yesterday denied any involvement.”Resettlement beneficiaries do not have the mandate to tell farmworkers of the previous owners to leave a farm,” he told The Namibian.”I am also not aware that anyone of our group of five beneficiaries would have said something like that.”Nghiishililwa added that he and four other people were first resettled on the farm Cleveland but had had to move as it was decided that a cement factory would be built there.”We were then given a portion of Marburg.”Nghiishililwa himself lives in Windhoek and not on Marburg.No agreement of sale has been signed between former owner Lacheiner-Kuhn and the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement yet; nor has an arrangement been finalised on retrenchment packages for the former farmworkers.