Africa-Press – Namibia. SWAPO Party Youth League (SPYL) secretary Ephraim Nekongo has threatened to mobilise the youth to grab land from white farmers.
Nekongo, who is also a member of parliament in the National Assembly (NA) says white farmers have stolen land from black people, and some are now selling it back to black people.
The SPYL secretary was speaking at a youth league event at Eloolo village in the Okaku constituency, in the Oshana region on Saturday.
He also said white people are trying to close down the state-owned Meat Corporation of Namibia (Meatco).
The event was held to campaign for Swapo candidate David Fillipus, who is contesting in the by-election to be held at Okaku next month.
“We don’t have land, but we are patient because of the policy of national reconciliation, but politically I am saying they should not play with us. They should not undermine peace. White people in Namibia should not undermine peace,” Nekongo said.
He said black farmers are unable to provide Meatco with cattle because of the veterinary cordon fence (redline), which limits animals from the north to be moved to the south.
Nekongo said the youth will start demanding to grab farms from white farmers.
He said some individual white farmers own up to six farms.
“They should not construe us to be stupid. Meatco is being starved because of land,” he said.
He said the idea of establishing a new private meat-supplying company is an attempt to kill Meatco.
“Black sell-outs are being used as a front for the real owners of that new company. Those behind the formation of the new company are white people. They want to kill Meatco. They should not undermine peace,” Nekongo said.
Agriculture ministry spokesperson Jona Musheko yesterday said the ministry cannot comment on issues with racial connotations.
“Whoever says that should give us evidence how it’s being done. Otherwise, we will not comment further on that,” Musheko said.
Minister of agriculture, water and land reform Calle Schlettwein did not respond to several calls yesterday, while his deputy Anna Shiweda said she is not the right person to answer questions relating to Meatco.
“I think if you call the minister he would be in the best position to answer you. He was the one who was making statements,” Shiweda said.
Meatco chief executive officer Mwilima Mushokabanji did not answer calls or text messages to his cellphone yesterday either.
‘STOLEN’ LAND
According to Nekongo, black people and white people should negotiate.
“If some of us get tired, I will mobilise the youth and take that land by force. It’s not theirs. They stole it from us. They should not mistake our patience for being stupid.
“The land is ours, not theirs. They did not come here with land. They only arrived here in their ships which they had abandoned at the ocean.”
He urged white farmers to continue supplying Meatco with cattle, saying the new meat-supplying company should “see where it will get cattle from”.
“They should not undermine peace. I know what they want. They want to privatise Meatco,” he said.
The youth leader said Meatco should be owned by both the government and the private sector to protect peace and national reconciliation.
According to Nekongo, black people are not poor because they cannot think, but because they do not have land.
Nekongo said there is a tendency in Namibia to want to shut down state-owned entities.
“They did the same with Air Namibia. Now they want to do the same with TransNamib.
“If we don’t work together as young people, we will be left with nothing. If they want to close down our Meatco we will match, because they want to play with us,” he said.
‘LIMPING’
Schlettwein last month described Meatco as a limping organisation in intensive care.
He said a time will come when the government would have to make a tough decision on the corporation.
“The nurse sitting there is waiting whether he should switch off the machine, or he should put new gas in the oxygen cylinders,” Schlettwein said at the time.
Acting president of the Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU) Amon Kapi says whether land was stolen from black people or not, the government said it should be acquired through a willing buyer-willing seller policy.
“That’s where we are standing as farmers, because the land we have now is still in the hands of farmers. Farmers are just farmers – whether black or white. Willing buyer-willing seller is the only thing we subscribe to,” he says.
‘FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE’
Human rights lawyer John Walters says Nekongo’s comments are not good for nation building and have a potential to make people take up arms against each other.
Walters says no one is allowed to take the law into their hands or to infringe on anyone’s property rights.
He says Nekongo comments constitute threatening speech are not allowed, as it would disturb peace and tranquility in the country.
“You want to fight fire with fire. It cannot resolve this issue. Threats do not help. You are in an organisation. Please engage the other organisations, such as the farmers’ union, that this is the attitude you are getting from your members,” Walters says.
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