{"id":77037,"date":"2024-09-23T16:49:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T16:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/new-hope-for-repatriated-namibians"},"modified":"2024-09-23T16:49:00","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T16:49:00","slug":"new-hope-for-repatriated-namibians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/new-hope-for-repatriated-namibians","title":{"rendered":"New hope for repatriated Namibians"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>The government welcomed 85 Batswana of Namibian descent who were repatriated to the country at the \/Gam area in the Otjozondjupa region.<\/p>\n

After 10 years of deliberations, Cabinet directed that the relocation of the Batswana of Namibian descent be carried out jointly by the ministries of land reform, immigration, and international relations and cooperation.<\/p>\n

The ministry of land reform, being the lead ministry in the exercise, said due diligence is being conducted, and they will take care of the returnees for three months, with the hope of the group having settled in and managing on their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will look after them for three months, and then we will see where there is land to resettle them, and where we can help.<\/p>\n

But the registration of the children for schools, elders for pension and land has already been done at the reception area, and we will process that as quickly as possible,\u201d said land reform minister Calle Schlettwein.<\/p>\n

Deputy executive director of land reform Petrus Nangolo said the returning families have been provided with basic food items like maize meal, cooking oil, three-leg pots, coffee and tea, beans, sugar, cups and other items. Before they move into their allocated settlements, they will be living in tents provided by the government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main aim here is to smoothen the reintegration process; we must allow them to integrate into society. We have also identified areas for grazing like Otjipaheua, where we have set up infrastructure like boreholes and all,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Immigration minister Albert Kawana said the Batswana looked after Namibians during their hour of need, when the people had been dispossesed of their land and property, and therefore deserve to be applauded.<\/p>\n

\u201cNamibia will ensure those who are repatriated are provided national documents such as IDs and passports for easy mobility within and beyond Namibia. The government has granted customs duty exemption for the importation of their goods, while environmental levies on motor-vehicles have been waived,\u201d stated the minister.<\/p>\n

He said a reception area had been identified for the group, which would serve as their initial accommodation before their integration into the broader Namibian community.<\/p>\n

\u201cNamibia expects you, our citizens, to familiarise yourselves with the country\u2019s laws. Abide by the laws of Namibia, as you have been doing with the laws of Botswana\u201d.<\/p>\n

He guaranteed the group that all necessary measures will be taken to ensure the provisions granted to Namibians are equally available to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cNamibia has fulfilled the desire and wishes of the late president by acquiring five commercial farms in the Omaheke, Otjozondjupa and Hardap regions, with a combined size of 23,054 hectares at a total cost of N$58 million for the resettlement of the Batswana of Namibian descent,\u201d said Kawana.<\/p>\n

He added that Namibia, in close collaboration with the Kambazembi Traditional Authority, has secured and developed a communal area in Gam for grazing livestock.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe said farms and areas are developed with infrastructure such as boreholes, water tanks, solar lights and animal handling facilities. It is also important to ensure that all school-going children are enrolled in schools without any delay,\u201d he reminded them.<\/p>\n

Good to be home<\/p>\n

The relocatees said their return to Namibia on Friday was a mountain to climb, and they had waited for long to come home.<\/p>\n

Kavetjimo Tjavanga (60), who resided at Tjihitua in the area of Murive, said she wanted to come back to Namibia a long time ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a long process; some people even died while waiting to be repatriated. Namibia is our country, and our grandparents were forced to flee to Botswana by the brutal colonial regime,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Tjavanga was happy with the arrangement by the government, adding that it was a warm welcome home.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found accommodation, food and water already arranged for us. This signalled the much and highly-praised hospitality we heard about Namibia,\u201d she said with excitement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came with my son aged 21, and a five-year-old grandchild. One grandchild was left with the family in Botswana as she is attending primary school\u201d, she added.<\/p>\n

The 60-year-old made a living in Botswana from tailoring and on occasion, she also makes fur blankets and school uniforms.<\/p>\n

Her elder son finished form three, which is equivalent to grade 10 in Namibia. He is a welder.<\/p>\n

Katjirari Mutenge (70), who is the traditional priest, said despite arriving in the country, he is saddened by the fact that some people who applied to come back home have died before they could do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe waited for close to 12 years. The process took long, and we wanted to come back home with our families, but sadly some passed on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Toromia-born pensioner said it was not his will to stay in Botswana, but finally he is back home. \u201cI am overwhelmed. Our ancestors\u2019 wish has been fulfilled. I will now proudly identify myself as a Namibian.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veihamisa Matundu (24), who also hails from the Murive area, said he will miss the livestock they left behind in Botswana. That area is known as the red zone, which is equivalent to the red line in Namibia, and their livestock thus cannot cross the border.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am happy to return as Namibia is my home, and I want to contribute to its development as a citizen. I am builder,\u201d he said, adding that he will continue with his work once settled.<\/p>\n

Japuira Kareru (67) from Nxaunxau, said she is pleased with the reception in Namibia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our home, we belong here, and thanks to the Almighty for making it a reality. The process took long, but finally we are here,\u201d she said proudly.<\/p>\n

While in Botswana, Kareru depended on a monthly pension of N$800, and she will soon start getting N$1 600 per month. The grandmother travelled with her with two children, who are in Form One and Standard Four, respectively.<\/p>\n

Time for reparations<\/p>\n

Various traditional leaders view the return of the Namibians from Botswana as a catalyst for adding value to the ongoing discussion on the genocide by the German colonial forces.<\/p>\n

Ovambanderu Traditional Authority (OTA) chief Eben Tjozohongo II Nguvauva said the day also coincides with the annual commemoration of the Ovambanderu returnees\u2019 days, better known as \u2018The 22 Days\u2019.<\/p>\n

The 22 Days are the days in which many of the Ovambanderu from Botswana returned, and were welcomed by late Chief Munjuku II Nguvauva in 1993 at the Mohembo border post near Divindu.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a good testimony to the world. History repeated itself, and it was joyous to see the returnees touching the ground of their ancestral land,\u201d said Nguvauva.<\/p>\n

He added that arrangements for the return of his great-grandfather Kahimemua Nguvauva\u2019s belt is at an advanced stage, and will also mark another historic occasion for the Ovambanderu people.<\/p>\n

OTA slaughtered a cow, two sheep and two goats to welcome the repatriates.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are waiting for them to settle first, and see where we can assist them. The area looks good, but the hot weather requires them to be helped with shade,\u201d added Nguvauva.<\/p>\n

Chief Tjinaani Maharero said the returnees are the painful reminder of a nation that was almost wiped off the surface of the earth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are the people who lost their family to vultures who preyed on their remains, having been driven into the dry, unforgiving terrain,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

He added that this is another symbol of the devastating legacy left by the first genocide of the 21st century.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are the legal testimony of the descendants of victims of the genocide who have not yet received or garnered the requisite apology, reparations and restitution it has long deserved,\u201d emphasised the chief.<\/p>\n

Maharero added that the return should not end in a symbolic and ceremonial recognition, but eventually lead to the release of reparations to the Ovaherero and Nama people.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. The government welcomed 85 Batswana of Namibian descent who were repatriated to the country at the \/Gam area in the Otjozondjupa region. After 10 years of deliberations, Cabinet directed that the relocation of the Batswana of Namibian descent be carried out jointly by the ministries of land reform, immigration, and international relations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":77035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,12],"tags":[234,236,233],"class_list":["post-77037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","category-policy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-namibia","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\nNew hope for repatriated Namibians - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/new-hope-for-repatriated-namibians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New hope for repatriated Namibians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Namibia. The government welcomed 85 Batswana of Namibian descent who were repatriated to the country at the \/Gam area in the Otjozondjupa region. 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