Land handed over to former farmworkers

AFTER almost a year of speculation over their possible eviction from the farm Baumgartsbrunn outside Windhoek, a group of around 40 farmworkers and other residents there last week became the owners of the land.

The /Khomanin community’s fears started in April last year, when Anna Bleks, widow of their late boss and farm owner Helmut Bleks, died.The German couple took with them to the grave all proof of a verbal agreement the workers claimed they had with them, which apparently granted them life-long residency on the farm.The workers’ fears increased when they were handed letters ordering them to remove their livestock from the farm, despite the deceased couple’s children acknowledging their parents’ agreement with the workers.The dispute between the land owners and the residents ended on Sunday , when the parties signed the ‘Baumgartsbrunn Land Treaty’.Under this treaty, the Bleks family donated 300 hectares of land to the Helmut Bleks Foundation, which employed the workers.The land was given to the workers on condition that it is to be solely and exclusively reserved for the use of the /Khomanin community.In return, the community is granted sole and exclusive farming and living rights on the 300 hectares of land.In a written statement issued this week, Michael Bleks said the family never intended to remove the community, some of whom have lived in the area since the 1970s, from Baumgartsbrunn.’At no stage was it the intention of the family Bleks or the management of the Bleks Foundation to send any of the ex or retired workers away from Baumgartsbrunn. It was merely in the process of the settlement of the estate that certain procedures had to be followed that sparked the discontent and ensuing land dispute,’ the foundation chairperson said.He thanked the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN) Bishop Zephania Kameeta and Reverend Petrus Khariseb for mediating between the groups in the lead-up to the agreement.Kameeta is a trustee of the Foundation.Speaking to The Namibian this week, Deon Gawanab, a spokesperson for the /Khomanin community, said the community was ‘extremely happy’ with the agreement.’We are happy. They’ve also said they would look at further land that may be granted to the community,’ Gawanab said.The foundation has stated that it is looking into further community development in the form of housing and vocational training for the community. denver@namibian.com.na