Police were doing as instructed

Police were doing as instructed Chief says meeting was called without authorisation Chief Glony Arnold of the !Kung Traditional Authority instructed the police to break up a meeting which she says was sowing discontent, amongst other things. The !Kung Traditional Authority has responded to an article that appeared in Namibian Sun on 14 December concerning a San meeting that was broken up by the police on 8 November in the Na‡aJaqna conservancy in the Tsumkwe West area.

In a media release to Namibian Sun, John Arnold the advisor to Chief Glory Arnold of the !Kung Traditional Authority, he states that there is a total “confusion” about the meeting that was held at Omatako on 8 November 2016. “The meeting in Omatako had absolutely nothing to do with the court ruling regarding the 22 illegal farmers,” said Arnold.

It was initially reported that 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. Arnold stated that the meeting was held to disrupt the leadership of the !Kung Traditional Authority. “We are aware that the meeting was planned by individuals through their recruits in their own interests and not by the community of Tsumkwe as claimed,” said Arnold. He continued saying, “The meeting was planned without the consent of the head of the !Kung leadership”.

Arnold says the meeting was halted by the police at the request of Chief Glony Arnold. He says the reason why the meeting was halted was because the chief was not invited to the meeting and that the chief was instructed to be at the meeting “without being given the opportunity to respond which undermines her authority”. Arnold says that the chief took the decision to stop conflict from developing and escalating amongst her people. “She took the necessary actions through law enforcement with the aim to prevent misleading information, confusion and conflicts leading to division amongst the members of the traditional authority,” said Arnold.

He warned that no meeting should take place within the chief’s area of jurisdiction without her authorisation. He cleared the police of any wrong doing stating that it was the chief’s decision to break up the meeting in Omatako. “The police of Maroelaboom are not to be blamed for the breakin gup of the meeting because the decision to have the meeting did not come from the police,” said Arnold.

He added that the Namibian government already protects the rights of San in the country arguing that the rights of the San people are recognised at regional and international levels. “Those who claim that the rights of the San are not recognised in Namibia need to wake up, and start participating in matters of national development,” said Arnold.

Shona Ngava