Gert Jacobie
KRISJAN Haufiko, a pensioner from the barren lands of Farm Eastwood, 80 kilometres west of Outjo towards Khorixas, found a haven for his two last cows and a single calf as the dry season hopefully approaches its final weeks.
There is no outcome any longer on the resettlement farm that was meant to be the realisation of his dreams. It was his entrance into commercial farming. His dreams were simply wiped out by the horrible years of drought that relentlessly followed one upon the other.
This past weekend he called the boy that grew up in front of his eyes to relate his story and was told that his remaining riches must be fetched and brought to Farm Tsuwandes and an all out effort must be made to save it.
Earlier Krisjan has already asked to work for Frank Bockmühl, to add to his meagre pensioner’s income, as there are mouths to feed and school fees to be paid. He has no more cattle to earn an income from and times are tough.
Bockmühl has known Krisjan virtually all his life, since the old man was working with Karoo Meat Auctioneers at Outjo where he became the cattle counter whose numbers were law on the company’s books.
Later Krisjan worked on a number of farms in the district until his retirement and his big break on a resettlement farm. All through his life as a trustworthy and dependable worker, he scraped together a small herd of cattle and goats, always willing to pay his way in whatever manner.
Eventually he ended up on Eastwood with his family, where he now met his demise. At least for now.
He is back on Tsuwandis, where the owner employs him at least part time to add to his meagre income, while his two cows and one calf, can eat something prepared from a mix of boskos, the new Namibian saving grace.
As a quid pro quo, he makes boskos with Bockmühl’s bush and equipment over weekends and uses the other workers on the farm to help him. Actually, it is a team effort on Farm Tsuwandes to survive the drought where cattle numbers were decreased to sustainable numbers and boskos were added.
And as the story goes, there are always water and a mouth full to eat for a good man’s two cows and one calf, even if the benefactor has to travel many kilometres to go fetch these troubled animals.
After all, Krisjan has known Frankie for almost 50 years.
