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Govt has no plans to resettle farmers evicted from Kavango

Govt has no plans to resettle farmers evicted from Kavango

GOVERNMENT says it does not plan to resettle communal farmers who are being evicted from the Ukwangali tribal area in the Kavango Region, where they are illegally grazing.

Prime Minister Nahas Angula said yesterday that Government expected the farmers who were served eviction orders to move back to where they came from. Speaking in the National Assembly, Angula said that these farmers were eligible to apply for resettlement on Government farms when advertised, or to apply to traditional authorities and communal land boards for resettlement in other communal areas.Angula was responding to questions by the DTA’s McHenry Venaani, who wanted to know what Government planned to do about farmers who refused to leave the area.Venaani said he believed that the area they were being forced to return to did not have enough grazing.Last month, Government named 50 communal farmers guilty of illegally grazing their cattle in the Ukwangali Traditional Authority and who received eviction orders in November.A further 23 were also expected to be served with eviction orders.Angula said Government would refrain from getting directly involved in the issue and that both the Ukwangali Traditional Authority and the Kavango Communal Land Board were receiving advice from the Attorney General’s office on the eviction procedures.The Police, he said, were expected to deal with the illegal occupiers and advise them on the legal consequences they could face for non-compliance.Angula said farmers who failed to co-operate would either be arrested or summonsed to appear in court.Failure to comply with the eviction orders could carry a one-year jail term of a N$4 000 fine.The illegal grazers have refused to budge despite the eviction orders, saying they have nowhere to take their cattle because the former Owambo has largely been fenced off by rich farmers.The farmers have said they would only move their herds if the Government and the Ondonga and Oukwanyama tribal authorities give them land in the areas under their jurisdiction.Speaking in the National Assembly, Angula said that these farmers were eligible to apply for resettlement on Government farms when advertised, or to apply to traditional authorities and communal land boards for resettlement in other communal areas.Angula was responding to questions by the DTA’s McHenry Venaani, who wanted to know what Government planned to do about farmers who refused to leave the area.Venaani said he believed that the area they were being forced to return to did not have enough grazing.Last month, Government named 50 communal farmers guilty of illegally grazing their cattle in the Ukwangali Traditional Authority and who received eviction orders in November.A further 23 were also expected to be served with eviction orders.Angula said Government would refrain from getting directly involved in the issue and that both the Ukwangali Traditional Authority and the Kavango Communal Land Board were receiving advice from the Attorney General’s office on the eviction procedures.The Police, he said, were expected to deal with the illegal occupiers and advise them on the legal consequences they could face for non-compliance.Angula said farmers who failed to co-operate would either be arrested or summonsed to appear in court.Failure to comply with the eviction orders could carry a one-year jail term of a N$4 000 fine.The illegal grazers have refused to budge despite the eviction orders, saying they have nowhere to take their cattle because the former Owambo has largely been fenced off by rich farmers.The farmers have said they would only move their herds if the Government and the Ondonga and Oukwanyama tribal authorities give them land in the areas under their jurisdiction.

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