Annakleta Haikera
The Kavango West Mbunza Traditional Authority chief Hompa Alfons Kaundu has given 30 days to people who have illegally fenced off communal land to remove it.
This comes after the Mbunza Traditional Authority had a meeting on 10 August 2022 about mushrooming illegal fences in Mbunza commonage areas. The meeting resolved to institute an urgent investigation on illegal fencing in the Mbunza communal area.
“Should any of the culprits fail to remove their fences in 30 days, we will remove it in terms of regulation 27(5),” said Kaundu.
According to Kaundu, illegal fencing is rife in Kavango, and some culprits use the excuse of ‘we fought for the country and will go to court if evicted’.
“But what they don’t know is that the residents staying around those areas use the communal land for so many things,” he said.
He revealed that during a thorough investigation, the Mbunza authority discovered that many fences had not been authorised, adding that it negatively affects the commonage.
“In this case, I would like to inform those with illegal fencing that they have contravened Section 44,(1) of the Communal Land Reform Act; hence your fence constitutes an illegal fence.”
Section 18 of the Communal Land Reform Act (Act 5 of 2002), enacted in 2003, takes a strong position against the erection of fences on communal land.
He emphasised that the residents should comply with the order to avoid the seizing of materials used for the erection of the fence.
On 17 August, the Rundu Rural Constituency Councilor, Paulus Mbangu, complained about the increasing incidents of illegal fences, calling for an immediate solution.
Furthermore, Petrus Kampanza, a resident at Mile 20, had told The Villager that the illegal fencing in the Mbunza area started in 2019 with two communal fences and now has grown to more than 26 illegal fencings.
“I am not happy how the communal land has been fenced. We have now seen that they get killed when we let our cattle come and herd in this illegal fencing. This is why we don’t want to fence communal land.”
Last year in August, during a visit of parliamentarians to Otjozondjupa, Zambezi and Kavango East regions, concerns were raised regarding illegal fencing in communal areas.
Last month the Mankumoi community in Kavango West raised concerns over increased cases of illegal fencing of land in communal areas during a visit by councillors to Katijankatji Secondary School.
In January 2021, the presidential commission into claims of ancestral land rights and restitution raised severe concerns over incidents of illegal fencing in communal areas.
The commission also described it as an infringement of the rights of access to the commonage.
The commission, led by Judge Shafimana Ueitele, at that time expressed the most serious reservations about the situation in the Kavango East, Kavango West and Omusati, Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions, and to some degree, in Zambezi.
In 2017, President Hage Geingob, after the land conference, told the then safety and security minister Charles Namoloh to put his shoulder to the wheel and start implementing laws prohibiting illegal fencing in various communal areas without further delay.
Geingob had expressed that he was disturbed by incidents of illegal fencing that are prevalent across communal areas.
