Namibia: Villagers Claim Council Impounds, Starves Livestock

SOME livestock owners, whose animals are constantly impounded by the Oshakati Town Council, said their animals are starved and secretly buried.

Pensioner Martha Nghidishange (74), who lives in Okaku Village just a few metres from the kraal where the impounded animals are kept, had her 40 goats taken on account of wandering around town two weeks ago.

Nghidishange said the goats were impounded while they were searching for water near the Kandjengedi Bridge and she claims that she was not notified. Her niece, she said, alerted her.

"I had to sell one to pay for the release of the goats," she said, adding that she paid N$360 to the town council to free her livestock.

Last week Friday, the town council impounded 34 of her goats again, which were kept in the kraal until yesterday.

"These people are making me suffer. I do not know why they are treating me like this. They took my goats before and now they have impounded them again," she stated, adding that she has run out of money to pay to have her animals released.

She furthermore accused the council of starving the animals, which, according to her, resulted in some dying over the past few days.

"I have seen a cow and two goats lying dead in the kraal on Sunday. I saw them with my own eyes," she said, expressing doubts as to whether animal owners are notified when their animals die.

BH Ipinge also had his cattle taken after they were found being driven home at Okaku Kiipupu Village also close to the town last week.

"They took the animals into the kraal. Who do they think they are? In fact, they use bad language towards our people," he said.

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When The Namibian visited on Monday, there was no food or water in the kraal, and the animals looked hungry. There was a carcass that hung from a thorn tree inside the kraal.

Those whose livestock are taken, pay N$25,66 per head of cattle or a donkey, and N$18,12 per goat for the days spent in the kraal.

This money excludes N$19,28 and N$11,74 per animal per day for large and small animals, respectively, which the owner has to pay as feeding fees.

Oshakati Town Council public relations officer Katarina Kamari denied impounding animals wandering in nearby villages.

"Council only impounds animals within the town's business and residential (informal and formal) areas," she said.

Kamari added that council does not keep animals for long as they inform owners when they can trace them through identification by the tags distributed by the veterinary services of the agriculture ministry.

She emphasised that the meat of animals which die in the care of the council is taken to cold storage facilities while efforts are being made to contact the owners to collect it. She, therefore, urged Oshakati residents not to leave their animals unattended as they damage people's property.