Basters want their own governing body
Yolanda NelA claim was made against the Namibian Government to include the Rehoboth Baster Gemeente (RBG) during land reform talks that are currently taking place countrywide, however they have not yet been acknowledged as a governing body.
According to the RBG Captain John McNab, indigenous groups have the right to maintain and develop their cultural identities in co-existence with other sectors of humanity. They feel particularly discriminated against and are deprived of their human rights and freedom.
“We have lost our land and resources to Government, commercial companies and state enterprises and it must be restored,” read a statement by McNab. “It must be investigated by an independent forensic team and the last 27 years of land losses should be restored. The preservation of the Basters’ culture and historic identity has and still remains in jeopardy.”
The Basters say they have survived many aggravating circumstances, “and with great resilience in the face of adversity, have suffered through 27 years since independence”. They say the group has survived despite early colonisers and liberal assimilationists. According to the statement that was posted on a Facebook page, “we have striven to maintain the cultural integrity that makes us different, while adapting to the changing conditions around us”.
The Hardap Regional Council met yesterday to discuss land resettlement issues and was represented by Swapo, although the RBG claims the captain and his council has Locus Standi and can’t be represented by a political party.
According to a member of the RBG, the group is managed by a captain. It is a corporate juristic person, with membership by voluntary affiliation united by the Christian faith under the Father's Law, as constitutional uniformity of government with legislative body as the House of Assembly for body politics, under executive leadership of a captain and captain's council.
“The land was taken from the RBG without compensation. While talks regarding land reforms are underway, we are not invited to be part of the meeting,” Martin Dentlinger of the group said.
Meanwhile, on Monday at the launch of a series of regional consultations in the run up to the second land conference scheduled for September, the Minister of Lands Utoni Nujoma said his ministry will draw on previous programmes’ shortcomings to make a success of the coming conference.
“We should ask as many questions as possible at these consultative meetings and take cognisance of the way various programmes and projects have been implemented,” Nujoma said.
Nampa reports that the consultative meetings are aimed at engaging all regions (Khomas consultations ended on Tuesday) in the build up to the activities that will culminate in the second land conference.
The consultations are set to take place at various venues until 21 July 2017.