Staff Reporter
MEMBERS of the /Khomanin community today submitted a petition to the government, requesting action on the land challenges they face, including evictions from the Baumgasbrum-/Ganaxas farm and the destruction of their ancestral graves.
The petition, addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Minister in the Presidency, and the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, also asked that the /Khomanin people be recognized as Internally Displaced Persons and classified as marginalized, with entitlements and benefits similar to those afforded to the San community.
Verona Kharuxas, a /Khomanin representative, highlighted the community’s need for over 70,000 hectares of land in the /Khomas and Hardap regions to address their landlessness. She said that this process could be undertaken gradually after conducting a baseline study to determine the /Khomanin community’s actual land needs.
“We sincerely request that the Ministry, through Parliament, expropriate land for the /Khomanin communities within their ancestral areas. This process will facilitate moral and just rehabilitation, meeting international standards in relation to International Human Rights and Humanitarian Laws. There must be direct engagement with the current landowner of the Baumgasbrum-/Ganaxas farm regarding his actions in destroying ancestral graves and how he obtained waivers over our land,” Kharuxas said.
She added that a moratorium on resettlement in the /Khomas, Erongo, and Hardap regions is necessary until the plight of the /Khomanin people is resolved.
“We collectively call for a moratorium on the entire land reform programme in areas where there are clear ancestral land rights claims. Clarity must also be provided regarding the two resettlement farms acquired by the government for the /Khomanin,” Kharuxas said.
