Shifeta slams illegal conservancy invasion

Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta said he will not tolerate the violation of the civil rights of the N#a-Jaqna Conservancy community members.
Shifeta was referring to the fact that farmers and livestock are continuing to invade the conservancy that is located in the Otjozondjupa Region while illegal fences are also being erected.
Expressing his concern, Shifeta said it is particularly disturbing that communities and members of this conservancy, who are primarily San people, are threatened when harvesting or utilising natural resources for which they have approved quotas or permits from the ministry.
Namibian Sun recently reported that despite years of legal and bureaucratic battles against what legal experts have termed an “invasion”, the conservancy stated that soon there will be little unfenced land left in the 9 120-square-kilometre conservancy because of years of systematic encroachment despite continued protests from the conservancy.
The conservancy said although they have developed a game management plan and utilisation plan to ensure the sustainable use of resources on the land, “no government authorities seem to be enforcing the law”.
Furthermore, although portions of the conservancy have been designated as protected wildlife zones, herders have settled in these areas and although the local Communal Land Board ordered the removal of 77 illegal fences several years ago, the fences remain and many additional ones have been erected since.
Shifeta said that this amounts to a contravention of the legal rights granted to the resident community under his authority as the minister in terms of the Nature Conservation Amendment Act.
“I am not going to tolerate this, not to mention that it is a violation of the civil rights of the community concerned.”
According to the minister, land resettlement activities are one of the listed activities in the Environmental Act and he said it seems that the land resettlement within the conservancy does not have the required Environmental Clearance Certificate.
He said the purpose of an environmental assessment of listed activities is to identify potential harm to the environment which includes harm to the interest of the people and to identify ways to mitigate such harmful impacts.
“We are further aware that there is a legal process underway in this matter and we hope that this will conclude soon.”
He also said the ministry will in the meantime continue to work with the conservancy in whatever way possible so that they manage and benefit from their natural resources in the area sustainably for poverty eradication and livelihood improvements.
He added that the ministry is also aware that the same problem is being experienced by other conservancies.
“People cannot just take their cattle into a conservancy and graze them their without obtaining the consent of the conservancy.”
According to the ministry it is unreasonable that cattle are grazed anywhere without the compensation to the people who has the rights over the land.
He further called on conservancies to report these incidences to the ministry and to seek legal advice.

ELLANIE SMIT