Racism against ‘Boers’ flares up

ALMOST 18 years after Independence and of Government’s national reconciliation policy the derogatory term ‘Boers’ reverberated through the Parliamentary Chamber on Tuesday as a deputy minister lost control.

Local and Regional Government Minister John Pandeni started his contribution to the debate about rural areas being proclaimed as towns and how that affected residents. He said during apartheid South African rule the living standards of blacks in the country were “sub zero”.Henk Mudge of the Republican Party asked Pandeni if those standards before Independence were worse than today’s in the Windhoek informal settlement of Okahandja Park.Suddenly Deputy Local and Regional Government Minister Kazenambo Kazenambo jumped up and loudly explained that the debate was not about Okahandja Park.”It is about land and the Boers are arrogant and don’t want to share the land and it is also terrible how the Boers treat their farmworkers.Honourable Mudge has got land the size of ten small farms,” Kazenambo shouted at the top of his voice.”Is it allowed to use such insulting and derogatory terms?” Mudge wanted to know from Deputy Speaker Doreen Sioka.”It is not allowed,” she replied.”I am not a farmer and I do not own a farm,” Mudge told the House Johan de Waal of the DTA rose and asked Kazenambo to calm down.”There are (black) communal farmers who treat their farmworkers as badly as some white farmers,” De Waal said.Kazenambo jumped up again.”I apologise and my criticism was directed at some Boers only and Mudge will inherit because his father has a huge farm,” he shouted.”I tried to buy a farm close to Okahandja for three million dollars and we were at the stage to sign the sales agreement but they suddenly changed their mind, that is arrogance,” he revealed to the House.After this outburst, the debate could continue.He said during apartheid South African rule the living standards of blacks in the country were “sub zero”.Henk Mudge of the Republican Party asked Pandeni if those standards before Independence were worse than today’s in the Windhoek informal settlement of Okahandja Park.Suddenly Deputy Local and Regional Government Minister Kazenambo Kazenambo jumped up and loudly explained that the debate was not about Okahandja Park.”It is about land and the Boers are arrogant and don’t want to share the land and it is also terrible how the Boers treat their farmworkers.Honourable Mudge has got land the size of ten small farms,” Kazenambo shouted at the top of his voice.”Is it allowed to use such insulting and derogatory terms?” Mudge wanted to know from Deputy Speaker Doreen Sioka.”It is not allowed,” she replied.”I am not a farmer and I do not own a farm,” Mudge told the House Johan de Waal of the DTA rose and asked Kazenambo to calm down.”There are (black) communal farmers who treat their farmworkers as badly as some white farmers,” De Waal said.Kazenambo jumped up again.”I apologise and my criticism was directed at some Boers only and Mudge will inherit because his father has a huge farm,” he shouted.”I tried to buy a farm close to Okahandja for three million dollars and we were at the stage to sign the sales agreement but they suddenly changed their mind, that is arrogance,” he revealed to the House.After this outburst, the debate could continue.