White farmers should help San: Swapo

SWAPO has supported a call by the Hai//om San that they be given land but said such land must come from those commercial farmers who “grabbed” it from them.

The ruling party’s co-ordinator in the Kunene Region, Samtaca Katjizemo, said white commercial farmers needed to complement Government efforts in helping find a lasting solution to the plight of the community. Katjizemo issued a media statement after he visited the Hai//om traditional authority at Outjo recently.Katjizemo said the Hai//om lived in extreme poverty and were severely marginalised.”The community were dispossessed of land like any other Namibian by the colonial authorities and were left landless.However, access to land, education, housing, health and employment provision for the Hai//om community should not be treated equally until they are on par with the rest of Namibians,” Katjizemo said.He said they need to be given preference because of their status.There are around 2 000 Hai//om San in Namibia.They are demanding that they be given at least two farms near Etosha as they have been landless for 100 years – since Etosha was proclaimed a national park.Recently, commercial farmers in the Outjo district offered to assist the Hai//om but not with their farms.Headman Pedro //Gam#gaebeb told The Namibian that they were still awaiting concrete proposals from the commercial farmers.The Hai//om have long claimed that Independence means nothing to them because they live in abject poverty.Since 1993 the tribe has pressed Government to return their ancestral land in the vicinity of Ombika, Outjo, Otavi, Otjiwarongo, Grootfontein, Tsumeb and Oshivelo.In 1997 they were arrested after they piled tree trunks and rocks in front of two gates – Ombika and Namutoni – leading into Etosha and physically prevented visitors from entering the park.Members of the tribe say it was a peaceful demonstration intended to show their strong feelings on the land issue.Assisted by the Legal Assistance Centre of Namibia, the Hai//om eventually succeeded in having the charges – related to the possession of dangerous weapons and hindering and interrupting the flow of traffic – against them dropped.Katjizemo issued a media statement after he visited the Hai//om traditional authority at Outjo recently.Katjizemo said the Hai//om lived in extreme poverty and were severely marginalised.”The community were dispossessed of land like any other Namibian by the colonial authorities and were left landless.However, access to land, education, housing, health and employment provision for the Hai//om community should not be treated equally until they are on par with the rest of Namibians,” Katjizemo said.He said they need to be given preference because of their status.There are around 2 000 Hai//om San in Namibia.They are demanding that they be given at least two farms near Etosha as they have been landless for 100 years – since Etosha was proclaimed a national park.Recently, commercial farmers in the Outjo district offered to assist the Hai//om but not with their farms.Headman Pedro //Gam#gaebeb told The Namibian that they were still awaiting concrete proposals from the commercial farmers.The Hai//om have long claimed that Independence means nothing to them because they live in abject poverty.Since 1993 the tribe has pressed Government to return their ancestral land in the vicinity of Ombika, Outjo, Otavi, Otjiwarongo, Grootfontein, Tsumeb and Oshivelo.In 1997 they were arrested after they piled tree trunks and rocks in front of two gates – Ombika and Namutoni – leading into Etosha and physically prevented visitors from entering the park.Members of the tribe say it was a peaceful demonstration intended to show their strong feelings on the land issue.Assisted by the Legal Assistance Centre of Namibia, the Hai//om eventually succeeded in having the charges – related to the possession of dangerous weapons and hindering and interrupting the flow of traffic – against them dropped.