Africa-Press – Namibia. More than 1 200 villagers will remain in the Salambala conservancy in the Zambezi region despite an eviction attempt by the conservancy management, stemming from a decades-old dispute over an area reserved for wild animals.
The High Court ruled in August that the residents, who have lived in the area since 1972, cannot be forced out.
Judge Nate Ndauendapo in his ruling said their presence predates the conservancy’s establishment in 1998, and that their land rights remain valid under the Communal Land Reform Act.
“The period within which they must apply for recognition and registration for their customary land rights has not expired, and, therefore, their occupation is not unlawful,” Ndauendapo noted in his ruling.
The Salambala conservancy filed a lawsuit in 2019 seeking the eviction of the villagers on the basis that they are illegally occupying the core area meant for conservation of wildlife.
Previous attempts to remove the villagers were abandoned in 1998.
Salambala is named after “lovers Sala and Bala, whose illicit relationship resulted in them being banished to the forest”.
Area headman Kaliki Malambo supports the ruling, saying the villagers’ presence is legitimate.
According to him the land was rightfully given to the villagers by the late chief of the Masubia Traditional Authority, Joshua Moraliswani.
“The villagers are not illegal in that area as claimed by the conservancy.
They have been rightfully given that area to live on by chief Moraliswani. I am really pleased that the High Court has ruled for them to continue living there,” he says.
George Mushabati, one of the affected villagers, also welcomed the ruling.
“We are happy with the court’s ruling. However, it seems as though the conservancy plans to appeal,” he says.
The Salambala conservancy, however, argues that the presence of people and livestock in the area makes it difficult to manage wildlife.
Conservancy chairperson Ignatius Kawana says the ruling is creating new challenges, with people now seeing the area as free land to claim.
“The ruling is bringing us more problems as people are now viewing it as a free rein for them to come and grab land in the core area.
We really need people to move out of the core area to make space for wildlife that feel cramped up, as there is no space for them to move around freely due to humans and livestock.
The conservation of this wildlife is solely to benefit the local community, so I do not know why they are resisting,” he says.
Kawana says having villagers in the core area results in wildlife migrating to the broader conservancy, making them vulnerable to poaching and increasing the risk of human-wildlife conflict – something he says is already happening in the core area.
“Poaching in the core area is also on the rise because one cannot stop and search suspicious vehicles, as they would claim they are going to visit their relatives,” he says, adding that an appeal has been filed through their lawyers.
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