Eveline de Klerk

Six elderly farmers in the Otjozondjupa region are appealing to government to intervene and stop an eviction order issued in 2020 in the High Court but is only being executed now.

The farmers say that their 60 family members and over 200 animals will be homeless if the eviction is carried out today.The farmers, who all are over the age of 60, have been farming on Farm Arcadia, situated 60km outside Grootfontein on the road to Tsumeb in the Abenab area. 

The eviction was expected to take place yesterday, however, deputy sheriff John Puleston yesterday told New Era that they could not evict the farmers as the police did not have a vehicle. “The eviction will definitely take place today,” Puleston assured New Era. The farmers to be evicted are Gabriel Hoeseb, Barnabas Weyer, Erens Weyer, Teresia Hoeseb, Johannes Classen, Amanda Ukuxisa, Wilfried Goachab who have all been farming for over 20 years on the farm, when they were served on behalf of Lazarus Katjimune.

They should remove all their belongings and cattle from the farm, according to the eviction order. The order was initially granted by Justice Nate Ndauendapo in 2020 in favour of Katjimune. Speaking to New Era yesterday on behalf of his fellow farmers, Gabriel said they have nowhere to go and that their pleas to be resettled by the government have fallen on deaf ears in the past.

“We are all pensioners now and have lived on this farm for years, yet people who already have farms are resettled at the expense of those who have nothing,” said Gabriel. The farm in question is 1 450 hectares big and was lying idle before the group moved there, some even before independence. Government then purchased the farm for resettlement purposes in 1998 and two beneficiaries, Festus Hiiho and a certain Ngeama were resettled in 2000.

 “Hiiho later purchased his own farm and moved and Arcadia was allocated to Lazarus Katjimune in 2015 while we also requested to be resettled,” Gabriel said.

He said they were informed to apply for the farm once it was advertised in the papers.  According to him, they did apply but the farm was allocated to Katjimune. The group alleged that Katjimune was resettled despite already owning a farm in another area and died later on. They are now appealing to the government to intervene and assist them as Arcadia is the only home they have.

“We have about 200 animals among ourselves and about 60 people that have been living here. Some of our elders are very old and have nowhere to go. We are now at the mercy of the government to stop the eviction and rather resettle us on the farm,” Gabriel said on behalf of the group.

Stop

Otjiwarongo councillor Sebeteus Guiteb yesterday indicated that they are aware of the situation and have also alerted Otjozondjupa governor James Uerikua who also serves as the chairperson of the resettlement committee.

“I have also consulted with the deputy sheriff to see on whose instructions he is carrying out the eviction order,” he said.

“Where are we taking these elders that have been living on the farm even before independence? How are some people more privileged than others? We will mobilise ourselves and march against these injustices to make sure that they are not evicted.”

According to Guiteb, this issue has been dragging on since 2005. 

He then questioned the fact that five governors have served since then but failed to solve the issue.

A letter seen by New Era that was written in 2015 also questions how the farm was allocated to Katjimune despite the fact that the farmers made a submission to be resettled to the line ministry, after it was advertised in 2015.

– edeklerk@nepc.com.na