Nafwu to hit back at defiant farmers

THE Namibia Farmworkers’ Union says it is consulting fellow unionists in a bid to lay charges of incitement against a group of white farmers who vowed last week to fight the expropriation of farms.

Nafwu General Secretary Alfred Angula also warned the small faction of dissatisfied farmers that they would not be able to handle the consequences. “They are day-dreamers who need to wake up from their dreams and face the reality.Swapo will wipe them [out] within a second.They should not play with fire,” Angula said.The farmers union’s leader accused the Namibia Farmers Support Initiative (NFSI) and the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) of double standards when they made public statements that the two supported expropriation on the one hand while at the same time questioning the criteria that the Government was using.He said the criteria were “none of their business”.”If the white colleagues do not want expropriation of land, we can always introduce a new method, which is taking the land without compensation or sharing it with them by force,” Angula said.Last week a small clique of defiant white farmers met at Gobabis and agreed to pool resources to prevent the State from dealing with individuals.The reaction by Nafwu was provoked mainly by statements that included vows to “fight or go.We will not lie down or crawl”.”We will fight for what our ancestors gave us so that we leave it for our children,” said George Friedrich, one of the conveners of the meeting.Friedrich said there was a perception that Swapo won the fight for Namibia’s Independence and that the whites were defeated militarily.”The whites in this country and in South Africa were never tired of war.The whites in this country were asked by political parties in 1978 to join the interim government,” he said, adding that anyone giving credit to Swapo for winning the war was “siende blind en horende doof” (blind while having eyes and deaf while having ears).Nafwu’s Angula said the farmers claimed they did not want Zimbabwean-style farm occupations in Namibia, “but they are the ones calling for that situation”.He called on farm workers and Swapo members to fight the “unguided and visionless farmers”.Angula said they were consulting fellow unions before laying a charge of disturbing public peace and order against farmers Friedrich and Gerrit Hough and Sigi Eimbeck, whose organisation, NFSI, was invited by the farmers to speak at Gobabis.In the meantime, the Government has condemned the aggression shown by the farmers at the eastern town and called on them to be engaged in constructive dialogue that would find an amicable solution to the land question.Information Permanent Secretary Mocks Shivute said the Government had conducted its business in the most humane way possible and there was no reason for antagonism.He said the utterances were “unfortunate, inciting and racist”.The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) has distanced itself from the Gobabis meeting and promised to continue with its negotiations with the Government.”They are day-dreamers who need to wake up from their dreams and face the reality.Swapo will wipe them [out] within a second.They should not play with fire,” Angula said.The farmers union’s leader accused the Namibia Farmers Support Initiative (NFSI) and the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) of double standards when they made public statements that the two supported expropriation on the one hand while at the same time questioning the criteria that the Government was using.He said the criteria were “none of their business”.”If the white colleagues do not want expropriation of land, we can always introduce a new method, which is taking the land without compensation or sharing it with them by force,” Angula said.Last week a small clique of defiant white farmers met at Gobabis and agreed to pool resources to prevent the State from dealing with individuals.The reaction by Nafwu was provoked mainly by statements that included vows to “fight or go.We will not lie down or crawl”.”We will fight for what our ancestors gave us so that we leave it for our children,” said George Friedrich, one of the conveners of the meeting.Friedrich said there was a perception that Swapo won the fight for Namibia’s Independence and that the whites were defeated militarily.”The whites in this country and in South Africa were never tired of war.The whites in this country were asked by political parties in 1978 to join the interim government,” he said, adding that anyone giving credit to Swapo for winning the war was “siende blind en horende doof” (blind while having eyes and deaf while having ears).Nafwu’s Angula said the farmers claimed they did not want Zimbabwean-style farm occupations in Namibia, “but they are the ones calling for that situation”.He called on farm workers and Swapo members to fight the “unguided and visionless farmers”.Angula said they were consulting fellow unions before laying a charge of disturbing public peace and order against farmers Friedrich and Gerrit Hough and Sigi Eimbeck, whose organisation, NFSI, was invited by the farmers to speak at Gobabis.In the meantime, the Government has condemned the aggression shown by the farmers at the eastern town and called on them to be engaged in constructive dialogue that would find an amicable solution to the land question.Information Permanent Secretary Mocks Shivute said the Government had conducted its business in the most humane way possible and there was no reason for antagonism.He said the utterances were “unfortunate, inciting and racist”.The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) has distanced itself from the Gobabis meeting and promised to continue with its negotiations with the Government.