Africa-Press – Namibia. THE reason Omukwaniilwa Philemon Shuumbwa Nangolo of the Ondonga Traditional Authority (OTA) directed that a significant portion of land in Okashana Kuukongo waNehale, in the Oshikoto Region, be allocated to prospective agro-producers is a noble one. It addresses the issue of fighting hunger and contributes to food security and development.
This was said by the OTA Chairman, Senior Traditional Councilor John Walenga, during a media briefing in Oluno, Ondangwa, on Wednesday.
Walenga and other senior OTA members addressed a recent incident in which disgruntled villagers held a demonstration against the fencing off of a large portion of land in the Okashana area. The demonstrators destroyed some of the fences, and many were eventually arrested and charged with malicious damage to property.
“The OTA does not condone the behaviour of any individual or group within the Ondonga community who takes the law into their own hands,” said Walenga, adding that the OTA views the vandalism very seriously.
He dismissed as untrue the protesters’ allegations: that the land was sold to individuals, depriving local livestock farmers of communal grazing; that the fences were erected illegally; that the community was not consulted; and that the method used to allocate the land was dubious.
Walenga clarified that the OTA operates under the powers and customary protections vested in Articles 66 and 102 of the Namibian Constitution, supported by the Traditional Authorities Act of 2000.
“The OTA is tasked, among other things, with being the custodian of customs, preserving traditions and values, maintaining order, and fostering development within the Ondonga community,” he said.
He explained that, unlike other areas of Ondonga that fall under village and district headmen, the Okashana Kuukongo waNehale zone falls directly under the jurisdiction of the reigning Omukwaniilwa. This has always been the case.
“This means that the allocation and determination of the use of such land is done by Omukwaniilwa through his designated senior councillor and is therefore not done by village headmen or district, councillors as is the case in other areas within the Ondonga community,” said Walenga.
He added that Omukwaniilwa Nangolo has a vision to develop the Ondonga community by contributing to the national objective of food security through the production of sufficient food.
For that reason, Omukwaniilwa initiated and established the Ondonga community field for crop production in the Okashana area three years ago.
A professional land surveyor was engaged to subdivide the land into 54 farming units, which were allocated to individuals ready to produce crops.
According to Walenga, a successful maize harvest has already been recorded.
The claim that livestock farmers were deprived of grazing land is, according to Walenga, not true.
“A vast piece of land was still left untouched for common grazing by local farmers,” he said.
He also said that those allocated the land paid a set amount of money into a designated OTA account. The five-year leasehold lasts from 2023 to 2027.
The OTA would repossess the land from anyone found to be unproductive and reallocate it.
Walenga also announced the indefinite postponement of a community meeting that was scheduled for 12 October. This is to allow community members to engage in their political activities leading up to the presidential and national assembly elections next month.
For similar reasons, the annual young men’s ritual journey to the salt pan will be skipped this year.
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