Sky News takes on Namibia land issue

TENSION over land in Namibia, which has been feared could degenerate into lawlessness as happened in neighbouring Zimbabwe, is capturing the interest of the international media.

Yesterday British-based cable news network, Sky News, carried a two-minute insert over the heated dispute between the owner of Ongombo West farm, north-east of Windhoek, and the Namibia Farmworkers Union (Nafwu). The footage was aired several times during the day.Sky News’s Africa Correspondent Stuart Ramsay interviewed the farm owner, Andreas Wiese, Nafwu General Secretary Alfred Angula and one of the employees evicted from the farm, Elias //Hoeb.Wiese told Ramsay that he feared that if the illegal farm occupations, similar to the ones that have been seen in Zimbabwe, occurred in Namibia “South Africa will be the next”.Angula denied that his union was planning farm invasions.He said Nafwu wanted “a portion of the land” to resettle the dismissed employees.Ramsay ended his report by saying: “In Zimbabwe it’s a mess.In Namibia it’s uncertain.In South Africa they are watching”.The footage was aired several times during the day. Sky News’s Africa Correspondent Stuart Ramsay interviewed the farm owner, Andreas Wiese, Nafwu General Secretary Alfred Angula and one of the employees evicted from the farm, Elias //Hoeb. Wiese told Ramsay that he feared that if the illegal farm occupations, similar to the ones that have been seen in Zimbabwe, occurred in Namibia “South Africa will be the next”. Angula denied that his union was planning farm invasions. He said Nafwu wanted “a portion of the land” to resettle the dismissed employees. Ramsay ended his report by saying: “In Zimbabwe it’s a mess. In Namibia it’s uncertain. In South Africa they are watching”.