|Khomanin community demands justice
• Peaceful protest staged on Monday
The|Khomanin community says they feel ignored while 'tribal elites' benefit from land reform policies.
A peaceful demonstration by the |Khomanin community on Monday from the Daan Viljoen area to parliament was temporarily halted in its tracks at Zoo Park when the group was told they were not allowed to enter parliament's premises.
The protestors had gathered to voice their dissatisfaction regarding land ownership and access issues faced by their ancestral nation.
Among their grievances, they described alleged systematic dispossession through restrictive government programmes that favour tribal elites over the landless.
Eventually, the group was able to hand over the petition to the executive director of the land reform ministry, Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata.
In a passionate address, community leaders highlighted that their ancestral land remains largely out of their reach, emphasising that previous petitions and attempts to engage with the government have yielded little progress.
They also expressed frustration over the government's failure to convene a strategic meeting on 8 October aimed at addressing their ongoing landlessness.
"I have been staying at the farm, Baumgartsbrunn, for over 40 years and they have now kicked me out of there. I farmed and worked there for many years and grew my family; now a man from South Africa has come and taken over. He is now telling us we can't live there any longer. I am sad and confused," said a tearful Alex Swartz (87).
The group's petition stated: "We want to assert our rights and register our dissatisfaction not only with the government but with key stakeholders involved in restorative justice. The plight of the |Khomanin is being ignored, while tribal elites benefit from land reform policies that are supposed to assist the dispossessed."
Land demands
The community leaders accused the government of failing to recognise the |Khomanin community as internally displaced persons and called for immediate measures to rectify this status, including a baseline study to assess their land needs. They demanded over 70 000 hectares of land in the Khomas and Hardap regions to begin addressing their grievances.
The call to action included a demand for a moratorium on current land reform programmes until their ancestral rights are acknowledged and respected.
Community members also indicated their intent to occupy government farms as a last resort to reclaim their rights, citing a moral obligation to address systemic injustices.
The |Khomanin community has a long history of petitioning the government for land rights, with previous submissions dating back to 2011. Despite their efforts, they feel their concerns have been met with silence and bureaucratic indifference.
"As we stand here, we refuse to be silenced or sidelined. We will no longer wait for diplomacy to yield results; we will take action," a speaker declared, calling for solidarity among all landless Namibians to join in their fight for justice.
The protestors had gathered to voice their dissatisfaction regarding land ownership and access issues faced by their ancestral nation.
Among their grievances, they described alleged systematic dispossession through restrictive government programmes that favour tribal elites over the landless.
Eventually, the group was able to hand over the petition to the executive director of the land reform ministry, Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata.
In a passionate address, community leaders highlighted that their ancestral land remains largely out of their reach, emphasising that previous petitions and attempts to engage with the government have yielded little progress.
They also expressed frustration over the government's failure to convene a strategic meeting on 8 October aimed at addressing their ongoing landlessness.
"I have been staying at the farm, Baumgartsbrunn, for over 40 years and they have now kicked me out of there. I farmed and worked there for many years and grew my family; now a man from South Africa has come and taken over. He is now telling us we can't live there any longer. I am sad and confused," said a tearful Alex Swartz (87).
The group's petition stated: "We want to assert our rights and register our dissatisfaction not only with the government but with key stakeholders involved in restorative justice. The plight of the |Khomanin is being ignored, while tribal elites benefit from land reform policies that are supposed to assist the dispossessed."
Land demands
The community leaders accused the government of failing to recognise the |Khomanin community as internally displaced persons and called for immediate measures to rectify this status, including a baseline study to assess their land needs. They demanded over 70 000 hectares of land in the Khomas and Hardap regions to begin addressing their grievances.
The call to action included a demand for a moratorium on current land reform programmes until their ancestral rights are acknowledged and respected.
Community members also indicated their intent to occupy government farms as a last resort to reclaim their rights, citing a moral obligation to address systemic injustices.
The |Khomanin community has a long history of petitioning the government for land rights, with previous submissions dating back to 2011. Despite their efforts, they feel their concerns have been met with silence and bureaucratic indifference.
"As we stand here, we refuse to be silenced or sidelined. We will no longer wait for diplomacy to yield results; we will take action," a speaker declared, calling for solidarity among all landless Namibians to join in their fight for justice.
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