FORMER Otavi constituency regional councillor Bathlomeus Shangheta is one of two people accused of fencing off large tracts of communal land at the Ohainghete village in the Otyolo district of Onalu in the Oshikoto region.
The other is Onesmus Iyambo, the Ondonga Traditional Authority’s councillor for Otyolo district under whose jurisdiction Ohainghete falls.
According to Ohainghete village headman Nghilifavali ‘Shimbungu’ Kandjabanga, the pair fenced off large tracts without consulting him.
They set up farms on land they were reportedly given by Onalusheshete senior councillor Johannes Shondili Amutenya.
Kandjabanga and the villagers expressed concern that Amutenya and Iyambo, despite being traditional councillors, violated council rules to set up farms on communal land and without informing the headman.
The headman and his people have since written a letter of complaint to the Ondonga Traditional Authority and the Ministry of Land Reform regarding the matter.
The villagers are angry that Iyambo has a farm and homestead in his village, but set up another farm at their village.
According to Kandjabanga, who settled at the village in 1982 and has been headman since 1989, Shangheta and other villagers were given land in 2007 to set up homesteads, like everyone else in the area.
According to him, the land was enough to build a homestead and a mahangu field only, as per traditional authority law. He said Shangheta, however, went on to add two more camps to the land he was given without consulting the headman.
“I did not ask him anything about the two camps as I thought maybe he wanted more land for his cattle, and another reason was that the land was next to his house,” he said.
Kandjabanga said they were shocked when Shangheta and Iyambo fenced off a portion of about 20 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide last year.
This area, he said, is used by the community for livestock grazing. The headman added that water pans from which cattle drink during the rainy season are enclosed on the illegal farm. Furthermore, most paths leading to neighbouring villages pass through the area.
“As we speak, our animals have nowhere to graze, because of the fences they are putting up. We do not understand why our leaders have to treat us like this. These two men and senior councillor Amutenya are arrogant and selfish,” charged Gerson Kavela, the headman’s secretary.
He said they had notified the Ondonga Traditional Authority about the situation, but this did not help because Amutenya, who allocates land to the people, is the man in charge.
“We have written countless letters to the traditional authority to no avail, because the man treating us badly is the one who is supposed to help us. Until when are we going to suffer at the hands of these people?” he asked.
Kavela added that they also reported the issue to the Oshivelo police, but were referred to their traditional leaders.
Ohainghete has an abundance of the tree locally known as ominghete, from where the area’s name is derived. The fruit of this tree is eaten mostly by people in the area. A large number of these trees have been fenced off as well.
According to Kandjabanga, since Shangheta and Iyambo warned people that whoever is found in these fenced off areas would be shot, the livelihoods of the people who depend on the fruit in the area will be affected.
Matheus Amutenya, an inhabitant of the area, pleaded with the Ondonga Traditional Authority to order the ‘new’ farm owners to remove their fences.
“We depend on omanghete for our survival as San people. Now, if they say whoever enters that area will be shot, how are we going to survive?” he asked.
He said if people organise themselves to pull down the farms’ fences, he would join them.
The villagers have given the Ondonga Traditional Authority up to 23 March to respond and said failure would force them to take the law into their own hands. However the villagers did not specify what action they will take if the Ondonga Traditional Authority did not heed their call.
The fencing off of communal land in the Onalusheshete district of the Ondonga area has become a thorny and persistent issue.
Last month, The Namibian reported that residents of Elavi no 2 in Onalusheshete pulled down a fence around an area where they graze their cattle. They claimed that the piece of land was given to the owner by traditional councillor Amutenya, also without consulting the village headman.
The Ondonga Traditional Authority called villagers to a meeting at Ondangwa to resolve various issues recently. The dominant topic was land.
Many people complained that their land was being taken away from them in unclear circumstances, especially in the Onalusheshete area. They say already established farms were being divided, and portions given to friends and well-connected individuals.
“Ondonga senior councillors, where are you? People have their land taken away from them for nothing, but the traditional authority is mum. Where are you? Are you waiting for blood to be spilt before you act?” complained a villager who claimed his farm was also cut into two and one portion given to another person.
Bathlomeus Shangheta, when contacted for comment on Tuesday admitted that he has a homestead at Ohaighete village in Onalusheshete but denied grabbing land to expand his farm.
“I only have a house there but not a farm. Those that are saying I have a farm are just lying and want to tarnish my image and reputation. Anyway, how big should a piece of land be in order to be called a farm?” he asked.
