Youth dispute farm allocations
Youth groups are contesting how game and hunting farms are allocated to resettlement beneficiaries and have called for presidential intervention.
Applicants for the resettlement allocation of hunting farm Bonna No 230, about 150 kilometres outside Windhoek, have lodged a dispute over the allocation and have called on President Hage Geingob to intervene.
The applicants, a group of young Namibians, claim to have been “intentionally left out” in the selection process and demand a halt to the allocation of the farm to Mudumu Tourism Safaris while their concerns and complaints are thoroughly investigated and considered.
These young people are from the Damara clans /Gao, Tsomanin, Tsobanin, Daure, Tsoagau, Tsaio, and /Goe-//An –and have formed a company called Bonna Hunting and Safari CC, under whose name they applied to be resettled on the farmland in March 2019.
In August this year the company presented its business plan before the evaluation committee on resettlement of game farms in the ministry of land reform where it made a case for the “regeneration” of the farmland into a trophy-hunting, eco-tourism and meat-processing venture.
The managing director of the company, Elton Kahuika, stated in the letter to Geingob that the presentation contained attachments and documents, as well as a support letter from the established Aru Game Lodge.
Kahuika said after the presentation, the chairperson of the evaluation committee, Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata, requested that a soft copy thereof be uploaded to her computer, which was done.
He said it was not explained why Nghituwamata wanted the soft copy of the business plan, charging that this has led to “unfair manipulation” of the entire evaluation process.
Bonna Hunting lodged an appeal with lands minister Uutoni Nujoma in October, days after a public announcement that the game farm had been allocated to Mudumu Tourism Safaris CC.
This appeal is in line with the Agricultural (Commercial) Act of 1995, which stipulates that any aggrieved party can appeal to the Lands Tribunal within 30 days from the date of notice.
Bonna Hunting claims that it “outscored and outperformed” other competing organisations.
Ongoing battle for Farm Osema-Gusinde
The Land Tribunal in April has recommended that the lands ministry enter into settlement negotiations with Chobezi Farming and Safaris over the allocation of Farms Osema No 63 and Gusinde No 176.
The Chobezi group has challenged the allocation of these game and hunting farms in the Otjozondjupa Region to Ovitoto Game and Hunting Safaris.
It claimed that Ovitoto Game and Hunting Safaris had not even applied to be resettled on the combined 9 128 hectares, and that it had not scored the highest points in the evaluation process.
Ovitoto Game and Hunting Safaris scored the combined third highest (56 points) alongside married with Tino and Hilde !Hanabeb. Oryx Gazella Investment got 75 points, followed by Chobezi that scored 65 points.
Ovitoto Game and Hunting Safaris is co-owned by Road Fund Administration (RFA) CEO Ali Iipinge (40%), Josephine Ipupa Kasheeta (20%), Gabriel Mureti (20%), Erestine Jessica Tjiundje (10%), the Ovitoto Conservancy (7%), and Angelina Operi Kanduvarisa (3%).
The Ovitoto Conservancy had earlier claimed that it has own applied for the Osema-Gusinde farms on its own. A conservancy member had claimed that the chairperson, Lisias Tjeripo Tjaveondja, had unilaterally gone behind members' backs and entered into a shareholding agreement with Ovitoto Game and Hunting Safaris.
Be that as it may, following the Lands Tribunal recommendations, the Chobezi group proposed that it be considered for resettlement on another similar-sized game farm in the vicinity of the Osema-Gusinde farm.
According to Ricardo /Garoëb, deputy chairperson of Chobezi, no settlement agreement has yet been reached, with the lands ministry having indicated that it would take the matter back to the Lands Tribunal.
Gender ministry gets resettlement farm
Another resettlement allocation was that of 1 965 hectare Farm Kaukurus No 79 in the Omaheke Region to the ministry of gender equality and child welfare.
The allocation of this farm was made in March and it was handed over to the ministry in November.
Valencia /Uiras, executive director in the ministry, said the ministry intends to set up an industrial school for street children on the farm.
She said the typical profile of street children is that they lack a basic education and that their parents are former farmworkers who now live in urban areas and struggle to make ends meet.
One of the skills to be taught at the industrial school is agriculture, Uiras said.
CATHERINE SASMAN
The applicants, a group of young Namibians, claim to have been “intentionally left out” in the selection process and demand a halt to the allocation of the farm to Mudumu Tourism Safaris while their concerns and complaints are thoroughly investigated and considered.
These young people are from the Damara clans /Gao, Tsomanin, Tsobanin, Daure, Tsoagau, Tsaio, and /Goe-//An –and have formed a company called Bonna Hunting and Safari CC, under whose name they applied to be resettled on the farmland in March 2019.
In August this year the company presented its business plan before the evaluation committee on resettlement of game farms in the ministry of land reform where it made a case for the “regeneration” of the farmland into a trophy-hunting, eco-tourism and meat-processing venture.
The managing director of the company, Elton Kahuika, stated in the letter to Geingob that the presentation contained attachments and documents, as well as a support letter from the established Aru Game Lodge.
Kahuika said after the presentation, the chairperson of the evaluation committee, Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata, requested that a soft copy thereof be uploaded to her computer, which was done.
He said it was not explained why Nghituwamata wanted the soft copy of the business plan, charging that this has led to “unfair manipulation” of the entire evaluation process.
Bonna Hunting lodged an appeal with lands minister Uutoni Nujoma in October, days after a public announcement that the game farm had been allocated to Mudumu Tourism Safaris CC.
This appeal is in line with the Agricultural (Commercial) Act of 1995, which stipulates that any aggrieved party can appeal to the Lands Tribunal within 30 days from the date of notice.
Bonna Hunting claims that it “outscored and outperformed” other competing organisations.
Ongoing battle for Farm Osema-Gusinde
The Land Tribunal in April has recommended that the lands ministry enter into settlement negotiations with Chobezi Farming and Safaris over the allocation of Farms Osema No 63 and Gusinde No 176.
The Chobezi group has challenged the allocation of these game and hunting farms in the Otjozondjupa Region to Ovitoto Game and Hunting Safaris.
It claimed that Ovitoto Game and Hunting Safaris had not even applied to be resettled on the combined 9 128 hectares, and that it had not scored the highest points in the evaluation process.
Ovitoto Game and Hunting Safaris scored the combined third highest (56 points) alongside married with Tino and Hilde !Hanabeb. Oryx Gazella Investment got 75 points, followed by Chobezi that scored 65 points.
Ovitoto Game and Hunting Safaris is co-owned by Road Fund Administration (RFA) CEO Ali Iipinge (40%), Josephine Ipupa Kasheeta (20%), Gabriel Mureti (20%), Erestine Jessica Tjiundje (10%), the Ovitoto Conservancy (7%), and Angelina Operi Kanduvarisa (3%).
The Ovitoto Conservancy had earlier claimed that it has own applied for the Osema-Gusinde farms on its own. A conservancy member had claimed that the chairperson, Lisias Tjeripo Tjaveondja, had unilaterally gone behind members' backs and entered into a shareholding agreement with Ovitoto Game and Hunting Safaris.
Be that as it may, following the Lands Tribunal recommendations, the Chobezi group proposed that it be considered for resettlement on another similar-sized game farm in the vicinity of the Osema-Gusinde farm.
According to Ricardo /Garoëb, deputy chairperson of Chobezi, no settlement agreement has yet been reached, with the lands ministry having indicated that it would take the matter back to the Lands Tribunal.
Gender ministry gets resettlement farm
Another resettlement allocation was that of 1 965 hectare Farm Kaukurus No 79 in the Omaheke Region to the ministry of gender equality and child welfare.
The allocation of this farm was made in March and it was handed over to the ministry in November.
Valencia /Uiras, executive director in the ministry, said the ministry intends to set up an industrial school for street children on the farm.
She said the typical profile of street children is that they lack a basic education and that their parents are former farmworkers who now live in urban areas and struggle to make ends meet.
One of the skills to be taught at the industrial school is agriculture, Uiras said.
CATHERINE SASMAN
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