Union eyes second farm for takeover

FARM Krumhuk, south of Windhoek, is the next declared target of the Namibia Farmworkers’ Union (Nafwu) after it resettles farmworkers on Ongombo West.

Nafwu General Secretary Alfred Angula told The Namibian that the union intended to resettle Asser Hendricks on Krumhuk, from which he was recently retrenched and evicted after working there for 16 years. Hendricks, the President of Nafwu, was retrenched five months ago by Krumhuk owners Ulf-Dieter Voigts and Ralph Ahlenstorf, who said they could not afford to keep paying his wages.They gave him notice of retrenchment but he decided to fight the decision in the Labour Court.Hendricks and Nafwu have also demanded that Krumhuk’s owners allot him a parcel of land on the farm, some 20 kilometres south of the capital.During the first week of December, the Messenger of the Court evicted Hendricks by loading up his belongings and dropping them off in Windhoek while he was away in the North for a funeral.”We knew that the court proceedings would not have taken us anywhere.If we cannot find justice in court, we will find it our own way,” he said without elaborating.Both Angula and Nafwu’s National Co-ordinator, Samson Amupanda, claimed the court order was not communicated to Nafwu.Earlier, insiders said Hendricks’s eviction would bolster Nafwu’s campaign to have evicted workers resettled on the farms from which they had been dismissed.While working on Krumhuk, Hendricks had farmed with 60 cattle and 10 goats.The farm management said it was unaware of the latest twist in the Hendricks eviction saga although they expected some resistance from the union.The Voigts couple said they were unsure how to react when the union representatives arrived with Hendricks on the property.At first, they said, Hendricks appeared to have accepted his dismissal and eviction while voicing unhappiness about damage done to his belongings during the eviction.The farm management said it was not to blame for that damage.Hendricks, the President of Nafwu, was retrenched five months ago by Krumhuk owners Ulf-Dieter Voigts and Ralph Ahlenstorf, who said they could not afford to keep paying his wages. They gave him notice of retrenchment but he decided to fight the decision in the Labour Court. Hendricks and Nafwu have also demanded that Krumhuk’s owners allot him a parcel of land on the farm, some 20 kilometres south of the capital. During the first week of December, the Messenger of the Court evicted Hendricks by loading up his belongings and dropping them off in Windhoek while he was away in the North for a funeral. “We knew that the court proceedings would not have taken us anywhere. If we cannot find justice in court, we will find it our own way,” he said without elaborating. Both Angula and Nafwu’s National Co-ordinator, Samson Amupanda, claimed the court order was not communicated to Nafwu. Earlier, insiders said Hendricks’s eviction would bolster Nafwu’s campaign to have evicted workers resettled on the farms from which they had been dismissed. While working on Krumhuk, Hendricks had farmed with 60 cattle and 10 goats. The farm management said it was unaware of the latest twist in the Hendricks eviction saga although they expected some resistance from the union. The Voigts couple said they were unsure how to react when the union representatives arrived with Hendricks on the property. At first, they said, Hendricks appeared to have accepted his dismissal and eviction while voicing unhappiness about damage done to his belongings during the eviction. The farm management said it was not to blame for that damage.