Members of the /Khomanin held a mass meeting over the weekend to express growing concern over land allocation, lack of accountability and what they described as continued neglect by both traditional leadership and government authorities.

Close to 650 community members attended the meeting on Saturday at A.I. Steenkamp School. During the gathering, community members voiced anger over allegations that communal land is being sold to non-/Khomanin individuals for amounts reportedly as high as N$40 000.

At the centre of the discussion was Farm Korassieplaatz, where the community said a written agreement exists for the settlement of /Khomanin. During the meeting, community leaders presented and endorsed a list of 50 households identified for placement on the farm. The list prioritises generational farmworkers, landless families, and community members from the Nossob area. Participants agreed that the list should be formally submitted to the traditional authority and land reform minister.

“We asked for a financial report last year, but the traditional leadership was not willing to provide one. We then decided to write to Minister James Sankwasa to get feedback on the criteria required to benefit from the land,” community member and social justice activist Shaun Gariseb said.

Another major grievance raised was the lack of communication from the traditional authority. Participants said the leadership has failed to call community meetings or provide feedback on decisions affecting land and development. This, they argued, has resulted in mistrust and the exclusion of ordinary community members from decision-making processes.

“As community members, we have been asking the headmen how non-community members are allocated land simply because they can pay, at the expense of community members. We want to know how they determine who gets land, because we ourselves have not benefited at all,” he said.

Attempts to reach /Khomanin chief Juliene Gawanas for comment on the allegations were unsuccessful, as her phone rang unanswered.

According to Gariseb, the community had written to Sankwasa, who has given the traditional authority about 14 days to respond.

– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na