Communal farmers Vaalgras facing expulsion



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The government provided communal farmers with eviction notices for the occupation of a relocation farm that was incorporated into the Vaalgras communal area without the approval of the local government. Local Traditional Authority

Haichas No. 190 which measures 12,870 hectares was given to Vaalgras Traditional Authority by the government to expand its communal area in 2013. The government bought the farm for about 8 million Namibian dollars. Fillemon Stephanus, Otto Apollus, Willem Apollus, Jesaya Stephanus, Joseph 'Auxub' Stephanus, Thomas Apollus and Kido Sandero from the communal area of ​​Vaalgras.

Farmers told Namibians yesterday that persistent drought conditions in the communal area had forced them to invade the farm.

In a notice of expulsion dated May 25, the Attorney General's Office gave the farmers 30 days from the day of receipt to leave the farm

With this request, we will not have any other choice than to bring an eviction proceeding against you without notice. You will be held responsible for the costs incurred, including interest, for the introduction of the procedure, "says the letter.

But the farmers have vowed to stay in place, despite the opinion of the company. expulsion.

One of the farmers, Otto Apollus, They declared that they would file a notice of intent to defend the expulsion.

"The government, on behalf of the community, gave this land to the traditional authority to expand its communal area, and when the drought began to strike us, it simply moved from our drought-stricken areas to the farm to keep our livestock alive, " he explains.

According to the farmers, they asked in writing or verbally to the council of traditional authorities to be temporarily relocated to the farm. drought conditions, without success.

Apollus said that it seems that the traditional authority council did not even consider their request because of their support for people who wanted to dethrone the tribal leader Vaalgras, chief Joel Stephan It is June 4, 2011.

Former Minister of Regional Government, Charles Namoloh, had declared the meeting to declare the leader illegal since he had not been constituted at the time. time.

Joël Stephanus also asked the High Court some restive members of his community to stop questioning and undermining his leadership.

Another farmer, Jesaya Stephanus, accused the traditional authority of victimizing those who are aligned with the "concerned group" by depriving them of benefits intended for the entire community.

"The (traditional authority council) personalizes the ongoing conflicts over leadership among warring factions, instead of dealing with the issues of individual community members at the traditional level in a transparent and honest manner" . continue like this, I do not see the traditional authority continue to exist, "he added.

Jesaya Stephanus continued" The confused "why they should be deprived of benefits as a result of the chieftaincy dispute that divided the community into factions, pointing out that the government had allocated the farm for the benefit of the entire community. "19659003" the intention to defend the eviction notice ", he sworn, stating that there was no place he would go to save his livestock from persistent drought.

According to him, the farm was inactive since its award in 2013. [19659003] The traditional councilor senior Willem Louw acknowledged yesterday that the traditional council had, after consultations with officials of the Ministry of Regional Agrarian Reform, approached the Attorney General's Office to expel the farmers that he accused of invading the farm The spec One of the farmers facing expulsion was that the traditional board of authority reserved the farm for gardening and sewing projects.

But Louw rejected this speculation as ridiculous. Use the farm for raising studs and game farming to generate income for the Vaalgras Community Trust Fund.

"In this context, we decided to subdivide the farm into three units," he added. one of the three units was assigned to him and Kefas Biwa as guardian, and the remaining units were reserved for the breeding project of the Vaalgras Women's Association, breeding studs and game breeding.

Louw also rejected the land was attributed to the detriment of those born and raised in Vaalgras.

"They have allocated land to a senior councilor, who is from Blouwes Settlement, to the detriment of us who grew up here," said Otto Apollus, Regional Chief of the Ministry of Agrarian Reform, Albertus Engelbrecht , did not answer the questions that the Namibian addressed to him yesterday

"I will call you later", was the answer that the Namibian had received from the regional head at the time of the in press.

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