Ongombo workers will be looked after, says Katali

GOVERNMENT has assured some of the workers at Ongombo West that they will be resettled on the expropriated farm.

The workers pleaded with the Government not to chase them off the land once the flower-producing farm, 30 km northeast of Windhoek, was transferred to the State. The Namibia Farmworkers Union (Nafwu) claimed recently that it had information that Government had given instructions to the owner of Ongombo West to evict 12 employees and their families (70 people in total) by the end of November before officially handing over the farm.Lands Deputy Minister Isak Katali told Parliament last week that it was senseless to chase the 12 employees and their families off the land, adding that they were among the beneficiaries identified for resettlement.He said the farm would be divided into several economic units before people are resettled.Recently media reports claimed that two companies, Regenant Investments and Starlight Investments, have applied for licences to prospect for copper on the farm.However, Katali said last week that the Government did not intend any other activities on the farm.He was reacting to a series of questions in Parliament by the leader of the Republican Party, Henk Mudge.He confirmed that the owner, Hilde Renate Wiese, had settled for a price of N$3,7 million for the 4 000-hectare farm despite initially demanding N$9,5 million.According to the Ministry of Lands, Ongombo West is “not an average commercial farm”.”Ongombo West has abundant water resources that are easily accessible through shallow wells and has had a history of intensive irrigation mixed with livestock farming,” Katali said.He said the farm was also adequately developed for horticulture and flower production and was located close to the market.Nafwu’s outgoing Secretary General Alfred Angula claimed recently that the union had information that the Government planned to evict the farm workers and vowed that the union would mobilise fellow workers to stop the eviction.He insisted that all indications were that the farm workers would not benefit from the resettlement at Ongombo West.”We are saying, no worker will leave that farm.Let Government evict them.Nobody will leave,” a fired-up Angula said.The farm workers said most of them had nowhere else to go and pleaded with Government to find them a place.The Namibia Farmworkers Union (Nafwu) claimed recently that it had information that Government had given instructions to the owner of Ongombo West to evict 12 employees and their families (70 people in total) by the end of November before officially handing over the farm. Lands Deputy Minister Isak Katali told Parliament last week that it was senseless to chase the 12 employees and their families off the land, adding that they were among the beneficiaries identified for resettlement.He said the farm would be divided into several economic units before people are resettled.Recently media reports claimed that two companies, Regenant Investments and Starlight Investments, have applied for licences to prospect for copper on the farm.However, Katali said last week that the Government did not intend any other activities on the farm.He was reacting to a series of questions in Parliament by the leader of the Republican Party, Henk Mudge.He confirmed that the owner, Hilde Renate Wiese, had settled for a price of N$3,7 million for the 4 000-hectare farm despite initially demanding N$9,5 million.According to the Ministry of Lands, Ongombo West is “not an average commercial farm”.”Ongombo West has abundant water resources that are easily accessible through shallow wells and has had a history of intensive irrigation mixed with livestock farming,” Katali said.He said the farm was also adequately developed for horticulture and flower production and was located close to the market.Nafwu’s outgoing Secretary General Alfred Angula claimed recently that the union had information that the Government planned to evict the farm workers and vowed that the union would mobilise fellow workers to stop the eviction.He insisted that all indications were that the farm workers would not benefit from the resettlement at Ongombo West.”We are saying, no worker will leave that farm.Let Government evict them.Nobody will leave,” a fired-up Angula said.The farm workers said most of them had nowhere else to go and pleaded with Government to find them a place.