UTUSEB – The Topnaar community is outraged after learning that over 50 bags the !Nara plant were prematurely harvested and abandoned by inexperienced harvesters, destroying their annual yield this week.
On top of that, artefacts from ancestral graves are being removed from their burial sites.
Topnaar youth activist Glenn Kasper condemned the destruction.
He said inexperienced harvesters had no regard for the plant’s growth cycle. “I visited the !Nara fields. The extent of the damage is indescribable and sad. Just take a look – raw !Naras are being harvested. It’s not just one or two bags, but over 50 bags. The plants themselves are even being destroyed. If we had gone further inland, we likely would have found even more devastation,” he charged.
The Topnaars live about 60 kilometres outside Walvis.
They are among the marginalised communities in Namibia.
Most of them rely on the !Nara for sustenance and income.
They fear that the reckless harvesting has severely impacted their livelihoods, as some of the plants may no longer be able to bear fruit.
The !Nara plant is a vital resource for the Topnaar, who have lived along the Kuiseb River in the Erongo region for generations. Indigenous to the Namib Desert, the !Nara melon is rich in nutrients. It plays a crucial role in the community’s diet and economy. Traditionally, the plant is harvested between October and April when it is fully ripe, ensuring sustainability and continued regeneration.
However, premature harvesting not only ruins the fruit but also prevents the plants from producing seeds for future seasons if the roots were not cut correctly. Kasper stated that some residents of Farm 37 have been hoarding raw !Nara melons at their homes, while others cook and sell them prematurely.
This is also a major health concern.
“As a nation, where are we headed if we can’t respect each other’s tribes and cultures? The !Nara represents the Topnaars’ pride, our identity and sense of belonging. We make sure to harvest in a way that allows the plant to regenerate and thrive.
Even when cooked, nothing is wasted – the fruit provides food and income, while the rinds are used as animal feed. The roots are used for medicinal purposes, but only certain ones, and only the indigenous people know how to use them properly. “We are seeing an increase in inexperienced harvesters who are destroying the !Nara plant without understanding its importance. If this continues, the !Nara might disappear completely.
The way the plant is harvested and processed is crucial – not just for sustainability, but also for health reasons,” he said. Kasper added that they have already engaged the Walvis Bay municipality, and are awaiting feedback before calling an urgent meeting with all relevant authorities to address the issue at Farm 37. “People who do not know how to handle the plant enter the field without even doing proper research. The !Nara has high acid content that must be stabilised during processing. If not done correctly, it could be harmful to consumers,” he stressed.
Deeply-concerned Topnaar elder Rudolf Dausab expressed frustration after witnessing the destruction. He said the community’s economic survival is now in jeopardy. “My people, this is more serious than I thought. These fruits are absolutely not ripe yet. These melons, which could have been used, have been destroyed. You cannot even make money from it because the seeds are not ready. You cannot even eat the content. This is a waste of God-given resources,” he lamented. The !Nara plant was gazetted in 2015 as a protected plant species under Act 12 of 2001, Section 22/Regulation 13, stipulating that the plant is of cultural and economic value.
The plant is believed to be in existence for more than 1 000 years.
It is member of the cucumber family, growing in sandy areas and along river-beds leading into the Atlantic Ocean in Namibia and southern Angola.
The bags were found at some houses at Farm 37 and in the backyards of residents who were recently relocated to Farm 37.
Contacted for comment, some residents admitted that they harvested the !Nara plants. One of the residents, speaking under anonymity, said they were not aware that the plants had to be harvested in a certain way.
She said they wanted to make extra money. “We didn’t even know that the plant was protected. We found them while gathering firewood in the area,” one resident said.
Asked whether they knew about the ancestral graves of the Topnaars, she said they were not aware.
“Perhaps it was an oversight on our part. Maybe the municipality and the environment ministry can create awareness so that we know what is protected and where we should not enter,” she said.
Immanuel Petrus, representing the backyard tenants, denied that his group harvested !Naras this year. He said they did so in October last year, but he addressed the issue.
“I told them that the !Nara is a traditional food of the Topnaars, and should not be harvested by us,” he said.
Topnaar traditional councillor Ambrosius Swartbooi criticised the Walvis Bay municipality, saying they failed to conduct proper consultation or awareness before relocating people to Farm 37 last year.
“Traditional leaders of the Topnaars will convene on Wednesday to address this,” he stated. He said the matter has since been reported to the Namibian Police and the municipality.
The community calls for urgent intervention to protect the plant from further destruction.