Expropriation turning into retaliation: NAU

THE Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) says that eight farms revealed as the first targets of expropriation shows that the exercise is more retaliatory than genuine.

The farms were named in the Swapo Party newspaper, Namibia Today, on Friday. NAU President Jan de Wet told a media briefing in Windhoek on Friday that they were shocked to learn that Osombahe Nord (No 1019), Farm Amerongen, Farm de Hoop (No 110), Farm Omitara (No 109), Farm de Hoop North (No 129), Farm Kalkpan (No 314) – all in the Omaheke Region, part of Omitara West (No 203) and Farm Ongombo West (No 56) – both in the Khomas Region – had been identified for expropriation.”It seems as though the names, as listed and published in the mouthpiece of the governing party, do not reflect the criteria as internationally perceived and [can be] interpreted as a retaliatory measure,” said De Wet.He said they had been under the impression that, if expropriation should take place, it would be based on criteria such as the productive use of land and land not economically utilised by foreigners.Therefore, he said, the eight names came as a shock to Namibian farmers, the business community and the international community.He challenged Government to clearly indicate to the world what criteria had been used to earmark the farms to be expropriated.De Wet said NAU had written to Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab asking him to fully inform the nation on all aspects of the intended expropriation and to spell out the criteria used [and to be used] for the identification of targeted farms.Farms Omitara West, Osombahe Nord (No. 1019), Farm Amerongen and Farm de Hoop are owned by the Held family and featured prominently last year in the murder case of Petrus Smit.Hartmut Held and his employee Rudolf Lunando Nekare are accused of killing Smit on Held’s farm Omitara West in February 2000.Smit, who was a resident of the Omitara squatter camp, disappeared in mid-February that year from the property between Omitara West and farm De Hoop.The decision to expropriate Kalkpan near Gobabis was revealed by The Namibian in November 2002.The farm was in the news when six families were evicted, while at Ongombo West the same number of employees were recently fired and evicted.The Namibia Farmworkers Union (Nafwu) successfully launched a court interdict and the management of Ongombo West was instructed to re-employ the workers.However, they took them in for two days before sacking them again.Nafwu said they were laying a charge of contempt of court against the management of Ongombo West.NAU President Jan de Wet told a media briefing in Windhoek on Friday that they were shocked to learn that Osombahe Nord (No 1019), Farm Amerongen, Farm de Hoop (No 110), Farm Omitara (No 109), Farm de Hoop North (No 129), Farm Kalkpan (No 314) – all in the Omaheke Region, part of Omitara West (No 203) and Farm Ongombo West (No 56) – both in the Khomas Region – had been identified for expropriation. “It seems as though the names, as listed and published in the mouthpiece of the governing party, do not reflect the criteria as internationally perceived and [can be] interpreted as a retaliatory measure,” said De Wet. He said they had been under the impression that, if expropriation should take place, it would be based on criteria such as the productive use of land and land not economically utilised by foreigners. Therefore, he said, the eight names came as a shock to Namibian farmers, the business community and the international community. He challenged Government to clearly indicate to the world what criteria had been used to earmark the farms to be expropriated. De Wet said NAU had written to Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab asking him to fully inform the nation on all aspects of the intended expropriation and to spell out the criteria used [and to be used] for the identification of targeted farms. Farms Omitara West, Osombahe Nord (No. 1019), Farm Amerongen and Farm de Hoop are owned by the Held family and featured prominently last year in the murder case of Petrus Smit. Hartmut Held and his employee Rudolf Lunando Nekare are accused of killing Smit on Held’s farm Omitara West in February 2000. Smit, who was a resident of the Omitara squatter camp, disappeared in mid-February that year from the property between Omitara West and farm De Hoop. The decision to expropriate Kalkpan near Gobabis was revealed by The Namibian in November 2002. The farm was in the news when six families were evicted, while at Ongombo West the same number of employees were recently fired and evicted. The Namibia Farmworkers Union (Nafwu) successfully launched a court interdict and the management of Ongombo West was instructed to re-employ the workers. However, they took them in for two days before sacking them again. Nafwu said they were laying a charge of contempt of court against the management of Ongombo West.