Spitzkoppe meeting disbands in chaos

CHAOS erupted and a meeting, called to discuss the future of the Spitzkoppe Community Project, had to be abandoned after things got out of hand even before it started yesterday.John Ramakhutla, founder of the Spitzkoppe Rest Camp, called a meeting at the small village, some 40 km west of Usakos, but it was disrupted by drunken young men.

Ramakhutla had to abandon the meeting, saying “the spirit is not good” and it was “too emotionally charged”. He told around 65 community members who turned up that some members of the community came “negatively minded” and there was no point in continuing.The meeting had hardly started when Lesley Tjongarero, deputy chairperson of the local development committee which oversees the activities of the rest camp, questioned Ramakhutla’s authority to call a meeting.Quoting from the organisation’s constitution, Tjongarero said Ramakhutla had not followed the correct channels and thus it was just a gathering of people and not a meeting to discuss the project.He was immediately supported by local headman Benjamin Mudago !Naruseb, who said the Chiefs Council of Damara Chief Immanuel #Nu-Axa /Gaseb of the !Oe-#Gån community did not recognise the meeting and he would thus not be part of it.The headman left the meeting after informing the community that another meeting was already scheduled for next month to brief them on the project and that he cannot be held accountable by “cliques”.As soon as Ramakhutla took the floor, insults where thrown at him from the back by drunken young men.They refused to stop interfering, even though some members of the community threatened to throw them out.”As I see things here, there are other plans for the meeting and we can’t continue with it,” Ramakhutla said after entertaining a few unofficial comments from the back.The chairperson of the local development committee, Isabella /Hones, then took the floor, claiming she was never informed about the meeting and they would not submit any report to Ramakhutla.”Our financial year ends in February and that is when we will have our AGM to report to our members,” she said.Half of the people then walked out of the meeting and collected prepared placards from the community project office, which they waved as they chanted slogans distancing themselves from Ramakhutla.Headman !Naruseb told The Namibian that the project had around 500 members and it would be unconstitutional to continue with a meeting attended by fewer than 230 members.At the heart of the meeting were claims that the project leaders had failed to account for around N$500 000 donated by international filmmakers, while there were also claims that illegal decisions were taken.The allegations were denied by the rest camp manager, Ryan Gariseb, and headman !Naruseb.However, !Naruseb confirmed to The Namibian that he had “released” close to 20 members of the project in December and that they were in the process of advertising the jobs, including that of Gariseb.He said the project leaders were scheduled to submit a report to the Chiefs Council in Windhoek today and promised to reveal its details once chief /Gaseb was informed.Earlier, the Omkhaibasen Farmers’ Co-operative (OKFC), an ally of the Spitzkoppe project, said their members were not happy with illegal decision-making, nepotism, lack of accountability, lack of financial reports and clear vision by those running the Spitzkoppe project.Once The Namibian published parts of the information contained in a letter by the OKFC to the project leaders, Daures Regional Councillor Abius Auchab instructed !Naruseb to call off yesterday’s meeting, the latter said.The farmers’ co-operative demanded “as a matter of urgency”, an appointment of a commission to investigate the project and demanded answers in 24 hours.The dispute remains unresolved.He told around 65 community members who turned up that some members of the community came “negatively minded” and there was no point in continuing.The meeting had hardly started when Lesley Tjongarero, deputy chairperson of the local development committee which oversees the activities of the rest camp, questioned Ramakhutla’s authority to call a meeting.Quoting from the organisation’s constitution, Tjongarero said Ramakhutla had not followed the correct channels and thus it was just a gathering of people and not a meeting to discuss the project.He was immediately supported by local headman Benjamin Mudago !Naruseb, who said the Chiefs Council of Damara Chief Immanuel #Nu-Axa /Gaseb of the !Oe-#Gån community did not recognise the meeting and he would thus not be part of it.The headman left the meeting after informing the community that another meeting was already scheduled for next month to brief them on the project and that he cannot be held accountable by “cliques”.As soon as Ramakhutla took the floor, insults where thrown at him from the back by drunken young men.They refused to stop interfering, even though some members of the community threatened to throw them out.”As I see things here, there are other plans for the meeting and we can’t continue with it,” Ramakhutla said after entertaining a few unofficial comments from the back. The chairperson of the local development committee, Isabella /Hones, then took the floor, claiming she was never informed about the meeting and they would not submit any report to Ramakhutla.”Our financial year ends in February and that is when we will have our AGM to report to our members,” she said.Half of the people then walked out of the meeting and collected prepared placards from the community project office, which they waved as they chanted slogans distancing themselves from Ramakhutla.Headman !Naruseb told The Namibian that the project had around 500 members and it would be unconstitutional to continue with a meeting attended by fewer than 230 members.At the heart of the meeting were claims that the project leaders had failed to account for around N$500 000 donated by international filmmakers, while there were also claims that illegal decisions were taken.The allegations were denied by the rest camp manager, Ryan Gariseb, and headman !Naruseb.However, !Naruseb confirmed to The Namibian that he had “released” close to 20 members of the project in December and that they were in the process of advertising the jobs, including that of Gariseb.He said the project leaders were scheduled to submit a report to the Chiefs Council in Windhoek today and promised to reveal its details once chief /Gaseb was informed.Earlier, the Omkhaibasen Farmers’ Co-operative (OKFC), an ally of the Spitzkoppe project, said their members were not happy with illegal decision-making, nepotism, lack of accountability, lack of financial reports and clear vision by those running the Spitzkoppe project.Once The Namibian published parts of the information contained in a letter by the OKFC to the project leaders, Daures Regional Councillor Abius Auchab instructed !Naruseb to call off yesterday’s meeting, the latter said.The farmers’ co-operative demanded “as a matter of urgency”, an appointment of a commission to investigate the project and demanded answers in 24 hours.The dispute remains unresolved.