Ministries not clashing: Jooste

THE Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism, Leon Jooste, has denied that his ministry and that of Lands and Resettlement are at loggerheads over farming in a conservancy in the Tsumkwe area.

Approached for comment, Jooste told The Namibian the concerns of members of the N#a Jagn conservancy over the Lands Ministry’s proposal to introduce livestock farming in the area should be addressed in an amicable and proactive manner. He said conservancies were usually divided into different zones and one such zone could be allocated for farming purposes.”Our proposal will be to negotiate,” Jooste said, adding that the conservancy could not “just say no to the Ministry of Lands”.Last week, the Working Group of Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa (Wimsa) said members of the conservancy were concerned about the Lands Ministry’s proposal.Wimsa argued that the area’s proclamation as a conservancy should protect it from all other uses that could interfere with tourism and trophy hunting.Wimsa and the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) have written to Government to express their concerns about the farming proposal.Jooste said he had already met with Wimsa and the LAC to discuss their concerns.He said he planned to discuss the matter with the Ministry of Lands this week.The conservancy was gazetted three years ago and at the moment the Environment Ministry and some non-governmental organisations are reintroducing wild animals, developing water sources and training game guards.”The groundwater is not enough to sustain farmed animals, especially cattle.Over-grazing land would endanger the traditional way of life, even the survival of local San families,” Wimsa said in a statement last week.It said the introduction of livestock would also undermine work to reintroduce wild animals, which would bring in a large income from trophy hunting for members.He said conservancies were usually divided into different zones and one such zone could be allocated for farming purposes.”Our proposal will be to negotiate,” Jooste said, adding that the conservancy could not “just say no to the Ministry of Lands”. Last week, the Working Group of Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa (Wimsa) said members of the conservancy were concerned about the Lands Ministry’s proposal.Wimsa argued that the area’s proclamation as a conservancy should protect it from all other uses that could interfere with tourism and trophy hunting.Wimsa and the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) have written to Government to express their concerns about the farming proposal.Jooste said he had already met with Wimsa and the LAC to discuss their concerns.He said he planned to discuss the matter with the Ministry of Lands this week.The conservancy was gazetted three years ago and at the moment the Environment Ministry and some non-governmental organisations are reintroducing wild animals, developing water sources and training game guards.”The groundwater is not enough to sustain farmed animals, especially cattle.Over-grazing land would endanger the traditional way of life, even the survival of local San families,” Wimsa said in a statement last week.It said the introduction of livestock would also undermine work to reintroduce wild animals, which would bring in a large income from trophy hunting for members.