Auleria Wakudumo
The Hai||om have launched a landmark legal action against the government seeking recognition of their ancestral land rights over Etosha National Park and neighbouring Mangetti West farms.
The director of the Hai||om association Toni Hancox confirmed through a media release seen by this publication that it has filed a case in the High Court in Windhoek.
The association, established in 2024 to represent the indigenous Hai||om argues that the community has lived on the land that today forms part of Etosha for generations, relying on its natural resources for livelihood, cultural practices and spiritual identity.
According to the statement, the Hai||om were dispossessed of their land by German settlers in the 1890s. Large parts of their ancestral territory were later declared a game reserve number two in 1907 without recognising their rights.
The Ha||om association said that their displacement continued during the colonial administration of South Africa, culminating in their violent eviction from the park by the apartheid government in 1954.
Since then, they have been denied access to their traditional land, its natural resources and important cultural and religious sites.
“The lawsuit asks the court to declare that the Hai||om people hold ancestral ownership over Etosha and Mangetti west farms or alternatively that they were unlawfully dispossessed of the land,” the director explained.
The Hai||om, the largest San grouping in Namibia, is also seeking what they describe as just and equitable reparations, which could include restoration of land rights, allocation of alternative land or financial compensation.
The association further argues that the alleged dispossession violates the Constitution of Namibia as well as international frameworks such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
In the same statement, the association criticised an online report published by one of the local publications, suggesting they were suing government for N$2.8 trillion, saying it was misleading and culturally insensitive.
The group claimed the article failed to seek comment from the community or the legal assistance centre and used an image of another San group believed to be !Kung San to represent the Hai||om, a move they say inaccurately homogenies distinct indigenous group and disregards their unique identity and dignity.
“The association strongly condemns the publication’s failure to request any input from the Hai||om members or the legal assistance centre prior to publication,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, Jan Tsumib, known as the chief of Etosha, emphasised the community’s deep connection to the land.
“Etosha means a lot to me because it is where our resources are. I only knew the name Xoms when I was young. The name came from the sound the sand makes when you walk- ‘xom, xom’,” he said.
Hidden
Last year, the Hai||om community living at Ombika gate in Etosha National Park expressed that they feel like living in a confined space within enclosed structures made of long poles with no space so that they cannot be seen, especially by the tourists who are coming to Etosha.
“If you see our enclosure, you wouldn’t guess there are people living inside. The government does not want the world to know that the Bushman still lives in Etosha,” they charged.
They said their community has not had electricity since they were relocated by the South Africans, except for the three houses built by the colonial government.
They accuse the government of not wanting to develop their area because they want to evict them from Etosha. It is further alleged that Cenored declined to electrify Ombika because they fear that they will not pay for electricity, and that they would vandalise property.
“We are not allowed to sell or do any kind of business in our area, and would be charged if we attempted it,” they stated.
Another member of the Hai||om, Petrus Andreas (48), said he has lived there his whole life, but is also not happy about the treatment they are getting from the government.