Police break up San meeting

Police break up San meeting''Unauthorised'' meetings ''confuse people''s heads'' Traditional leaders say meetings cannot take place without the chief''s knowledge and consent. The police at the Maroelaboom station are accused of having attempted to thwart a meeting held by various San communities in the Na‡aJaqna conservancy in the Tsumkwe West area last Thursday.

Sources said more than 50 people had gathered at the Omatako church hall where they wanted answers about 22 illegal settlers who had been ordered by the High Court to break down their illegal fences and remove their cattle from the area by 20 November.

Some of the evicted settlers have in the meantime instituted a Supreme Court challenge to stop the eviction. According to the sources none of them appear to be moving.

Another matter on the agenda was the possible election of new traditional leaders.

Issaskar Soub, an official at the !Kung customary court, said Agarob ''Alla'' Sauseb, secretary to chief Glony Arnold of the !Kung traditional authority, arrived with at least five armed police officers at the meeting and told the gathering that they could not meet without Arnold''s consent.

Soub said Arnold, police at Maroelaboom as well as a constituency councillor had been informed in writing of the scheduled meeting well in advance. In fact, he said, Arnold had been invited to the meeting but failed to turn up.

Soub said after Sauseb left the church hall the police officers told the gathering to disband. The police reportedly also told them that they had no right to choose their own leaders.

Community activist Raino Eino reportedly told the police that they would continue with the meeting and an argument ensued.

“It was almost like war,” said Soub. “There was a big argument.”

Sauseb confirmed that he had gone to the meeting with the police, saying: “You cannot come into the chief''s area and have a meeting without her having approved the agenda. We stop meetings like that if there is no permission because such meetings confuse people''s heads. If meetings are to take place our leaders must be present to hear what is being said.”

Soub asked: “Do we not have rights to freely assemble and to speak our minds in this country? Do we not have rights to elections in this country? Why are we banned from holding meetings?”

Eino vowed that the San communities would continue to advocate for their rights to be recognised.

The police at the Maroelaboom station could not be contacted for comment.



Background

After the High Court in August ruled that the 22 illegal settlers must leave the Na‡aJaqna conservancy area, Chief Arnold and Sauseb were accused by community members of continuing with illegal allocation of land to outsiders.

The communities further complained that illegal settlement had not stopped since the High Court ruling. Chief Arnold and her advisor, John Arnold Junior, insist that the chief is the only person who has the right to allocate land.

Disgruntled San communities who question the manner in which Chief Arnold was installed as the head of the traditional authority said they would prefer to elect their own leaders.



CATHERINE SASMAN