President and San leaders discuss farming in conservancy

PRESIDENT Hifikepunye Pohamba has invited traditional leaders of the San community to meet him at State House in Windhoek to discuss the controversial Government programme of establishing small-scale farms in a proclaimed conservation area in order to find a solution.

The Head of State held a two-hour meeting behind closed doors with community leaders at Mangetti Dune, 200 kilometres east of Grootfontein yesterday. About 500 San people are living at the former South African military base there.Deputy Environment and Tourism Minister Leon Jooste, who accompanied President Pohamba, confirmed the development.”During the meeting development and environmental issues were discussed and the envisaged small-scale farms were also a topic,” Jooste told The Namibian.”President Pohamba invited the San Chiefs John Arnold and Chief Bob Tsamkxao #Oma and their councillors for a meeting early next year at State House to discuss the issue.”More details about the meeting were not disclosed.The N#a Jaqna Conservancy to the west of Tsumkwe in the Otjozondjupa Region, where a large group of the marginalised San community live, was gazetted as a conservancy in July 2003.The San have already established a community campsite at Kano Vlei within the proclaimed area.A traditional San village has been established close to the western entrance to the conservancy, where tourists can view traditional dances and the traditional life of the San people for a fee and interact with them.Lands Minister Jerry Ekandjo recently held a meeting at Tsumkwe and informed the San community that the Government would survey, fence off and service small farms for resettlement purposes in the N#a Jaqna conservancy.The San are opposed to this and would prefer to develop the tourism potential of the conservancy, which includes game viewing, photo safaris and trophy hunting.Another source of income is from forestry.A logging company has already been granted a quota for 300 tonnes of wood a year from the recently proclaimed M’Kata Community Forest.”We are happy to be granted an opportunity to discuss the issue of the small-scale farms with the President in Windhoek,” said Chief Bob Tsamkxao #Oma afterwards, “we from the San community would like to find a good solution for all parties.”Apart from Leon Jooste, Tourism and Environment Minister Willem Konjore and Trade and Industry Minister Immanuel Ngatjizeko accompanied Pohamba.After the meeting, the President addressed the approximately 600 San speakers, some of whom were transported from nearby homesteads.”We are specifically paying greater attention to our rural areas, which were neglected in the past,” Pohamba said.”The Tsumkwe Constituency, of which Mangetti Dune is a part, has benefited from some of those outreach initiatives of our Government.I am happy that the community of Mangetti Dune has access to a modern health centre that is staffed by a medical doctor and other health professionals on a full-time basis.”The local primary school, which accommodates 230 children, would receive continued Government support to “become a centre of excellence providing high-quality education,” President Pohamba promised.He added that the Ministry of Agriculture had over a number of years supported several agricultural projects in the area like crop cultivation and livestock farming.”The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry provided some seed, animals in the form of goats, sheep, and cattle to some families in order to enable them to start sustainable farming activities.”But some San people were outspoken about their fear of losing the officially proclaimed conservancy to resettlement farms.Speaking on condition of anonymity, two community members told The Namibian that many cattle owners from the Herero and Okavango traditional areas had just moved in over the past few years without asking permission from the local chiefs.”They just ignore us San people; we are helpless about their presence,” one man said.”We want the same rights as other Namibians have and we fear that the N#a Jaqna Conservancy will be taken away from us.”About 500 San people are living at the former South African military base there.Deputy Environment and Tourism Minister Leon Jooste, who accompanied President Pohamba, confirmed the development.”During the meeting development and environmental issues were discussed and the envisaged small-scale farms were also a topic,” Jooste told The Namibian.”President Pohamba invited the San Chiefs John Arnold and Chief Bob Tsamkxao #Oma and their councillors for a meeting early next year at State House to discuss the issue.”More details about the meeting were not disclosed.The N#a Jaqna Conservancy to the west of Tsumkwe in the Otjozondjupa Region, where a large group of the marginalised San community live, was gazetted as a conservancy in July 2003.The San have already established a community campsite at Kano Vlei within the proclaimed area.A traditional San village has been established close to the western entrance to the conservancy, where tourists can view traditional dances and the traditional life of the San people for a fee and interact with them.Lands Minister Jerry Ekandjo recently held a meeting at Tsumkwe and informed the San community that the Government would survey, fence off and service small farms for resettlement purposes in the N#a Jaqna conservancy.The San are opposed to this and would prefer to develop the tourism potential of the conservancy, which includes game viewing, photo safaris and trophy hunting.Another source of income is from forestry.A logging company has already been granted a quota for 300 tonnes of wood a year from the recently proclaimed M’Kata Community Forest.”We are happy to be granted an opportunity to discuss the issue of the small-scale farms with the President in Windhoek,” said Chief Bob Tsamkxao #Oma afterwards, “we from the San community would like to find a good solution for all parties.”Apart from Leon Jooste, Tourism and Environment Minister Willem Konjore and Trade and Industry Minister Immanuel Ngatjizeko accompanied Pohamba.After the meeting, the President addressed the approximately 600 San speakers, some of whom were transported from nearby homesteads.”We are specifically paying greater attention to our rural areas, which were neglected in the past,” Pohamba said.”The Tsumkwe Constituency, of which Mangetti Dune is a part, has benefited from some of those outreach initiatives of our Government.I am happy that the community of Mangetti Dune has access to a modern health centre that is staffed by a medical doctor and other health professionals on a full-time basis.”The local primary school, which accommodates 230 children, would receive continued Government support to “become a centre of excellence providing high-quality education,” President Pohamba promised.He added that the Ministry of Agriculture had over a number of years supported several agricultural projects in the area like crop cultivation and livestock farming.”The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry provided some seed, animals in the form of goats, sheep, and cattle to some families in order to enable them to start sustainable farming activities.”But some San people were outspoken about their fear of losing the officially proclaimed conservancy to resettlement farms.Speaking on condition of anonymity, two community members told The Namibian that many cattle owners from the Herero and Okavango traditional areas had just moved in over the past few years without asking permission from the local chiefs.”They just ignore us San people; we are helpless about their presence,” one man said.”We want the same rights as other Namibians have and we fear that the N#a Jaqna Conservancy will be taken away from us.”