Newspaper Article':
| The Namibian police were last week called to
wess| Kransneus, a farm about 35 km south of Windhoek, to
ameae| ©StOP 2 group of people from settling on what they claim
fea, is their ancestral land.
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Owner of the land, Jan Jacobs, said a number of illegal!
squatters had set up shacks on his land about a week
ago and refused to budge. Jacobs bought 820 hectares
tofwothbero2the4r0s0, hAelcbtearrtesUriinon 20a0n1d Atrhraite fBoerumekrelsy. belonged to
Since then, ownership of the farm has been bitterly disputed by communal farmers in
the area, and protracted clashes have occurred between Jacobs and the squatters.
“They are claiming all! parts of the farm,” said Jacobs.
‘Is this his land?” questioned Hendrik Engelbrecht, one of the peopte who have settled
on the farm. He claimed that Jacobs had bought the farm “behind closed doors” and
used underhanded methods to get hold of the farm.
"| was born and bred on this land. This is our ancestral land; our graves are here,” said
Engelbrecht.
The community has previously claimed that the farm belongs to the Namibian
Government. In 2004, they staged a demonstration and handed over a petition to Alfred
Angula of the Namibian Farmworkers’ Union, to launch an investigation into the
ownership of the land.
The Ministry of Lands and Resettlement has also been called to intervene in the matter,
but, said Jacobs, no feedback has been given,
At the heart of the contention is that Jacob’s portion of the land has not been
demarcated yet. The communal farmers have set up zinc shacks about seven
kilometres from Jacob's farmhouse.
“We will not move; this will be a very fough fight,” said Engelbrecht, while bemoaning
the lands ministry's tardiness in handling the matter.
“Is it because we are Damara-speaking that the ministry takes its time on the matter?
There will be serious repercussions if the matter is not resolved soon."
“These settiers must prove the injustice. The law must take its course,” said Jacobs.
A legal case is pending to determine ownership of the land.
END OF EXAMINATION
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