Govt has lost trust in commercial farmers The Namibian Agricultural Union yesterday said that the government and the police have lost faith in commercial farmers after several incidents this year where farmers were arrested for having illegal weapons and ammunition on their farms. The president of the NAU, Ryno van der Merwe, pleaded with all members to hand in illegal firearms under an amnesty running until November.
Van der Merwe told members at the 70th NAU congress that the union visited the Inspector-General of the Namibian Police, Sebastian Ndeitunga, on two occasions this year.
The first meeting was to address safety concerns on commercial farms after several attacks occurred and the second was to discuss the issue of farmers arrested for having unlicensed weapons on their farms.
According to him the NAU then appointed an advocate to analyse all the relevant laws pertaining to this issue, as it seemed that there was some confusion about the possession of such weapons.
Van der Merwe said they decided to ask for another amnesty to surrender illegal weapons and ammunition, which was granted.
“To be honest, I was not sure that we would be given this amnesty,” he said. Van der Merwe said it has become clear that even though those farmers who have illegal weapons may not intend to use them or have any malicious intent, the government has experienced these incidents in a very negative way.
He pointed out that it was seen in an even worse light because one of the arrested farmers was a former Koevoet member.
NLU member Frikkie Engels, who is also the chairperson of the Crime Prevention Forum, told the congress that anybody still in possession of illegal firearms after 18 November will be treated harshly.
He said after the arrests the police lost trust in the commercial farmers because the sector had for the past 26 years given the assurance that its members are not holding on to any illegal weapons from before independence.
He said at one of the briefings on the current amnesty the police told farmers straight out that if it was up to them they would not even give another amnesty, because there had been enough chances in the past.
Engels said they were told that there had been three amnesties to hand in illegal firearms since independence.
Engels told farmers that they should not pass up this opportunity and further erode the trust that had been built up with the authorities.
From the floor another farmer added that those making themselves guilty of not handing in illegal weapons should not even try and phone the union for help. “The line has been drawn.”
Another farmer said famers should be aware that the police have been given orders to investigate how weapons are being handled on farms and that such inspections had already taken place at farms in the Okahandja area.
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