A farmer in the Okorukambe Constituency, Republic Ngahahe, is facing eviction from Farm Ozombahe, as he is not from the area.
Farm Ozombahe belongs to the residents of Omitara; however, Ngahahe, a native of the Otjinene Constituency, spent three years there.
According to Ngahahe, the recurrent dry spells in his area forced him to relocate to Okorukambe in search of grazing for his livestock.
Ngahahe said following a meeting with the Chairperson of the Ozombahe Cooperative, Willem !Haoseb, he agreed to join the cooperative so he could be allocated a grazing camp.
Ngahahe said he gave two heifers worth N$20,000 for membership in the Cooperative as requested by the Chairperson.
However, there are no valid documents shared by the cooperative to justify membership.
Ngahahe was instead informed to vacate the farm a few weeks ago for reasons he said are only known by the Chairperson.
"Willem took our cattle and told us that we would join the cooperative, but the membership is taking forever to materialise. We have requested the document on several occasions. To date, I have received no updates. While I was in Windhoek, he called for a meeting, and as I was preparing to attend, the livestock were suddenly removed from the camps," he said. Attempts to get hold of !Haoseb proved futile; he told us, "I tried to call him, but he did not answer his phone. My worker informed me that he was with Shiimi, one of the wealthy individuals, and instructed my worker not to interfere and let them proceed as they wished. Consequently, they entered the area themselves and took the livestock away. The events unfolded in a confusing manner."
Ngahahe's livestock are now grazing around the corridor, and water is a daily challenge.
He says that he tried to communicate the matter to the regional leadership, but to no avail.
Approached for comment, the Chairperson of Ozombahe Cooperative, !Haoseb told NBC News that the issue is in the court's hands due to a dispute among the residents and could not divulge more information in that regard.
However, he clarified that the payment for the two heifers was meant for legal fees and not for membership in the cooperative.