The first group of Batswana of Namibian descent will arrive in the country on Friday as part of a repatriation effort from Botswana, and they will be settled in the Gam area.

Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein said the process that started 10 years ago will now reach fruition on 20 September 2024. He announced in Parliament on Tuesday that the Cabinet has tasked his ministry to coordinate the process in conjunction with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security and the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation.

The people who are being repatriated are the descendants of Namibians who sought refuge in Botswana during the atrocities committed by imperial Germany from 1904 to 1907.

Schlettwein said the communities have made a decision to come to their ancestral land after their ancestors were forced to flee Namibia due to colonial subjugation.

‘The time for this long-awaited relocation has arrived. The two governments, Namibia and Botswana, have
agreed that the relocation date will be 20 September 2024,’ Schlettwein said in a ministerial statement.

‘To smoothen the process, the repatriation of the Batswana of Namibian descent will be done in two phases. Phase one comprised the less complicated group, the group without livestock. Phase two will comprise a more logistically complicated group which will come with livestock.’

According to the minister, the first group arriving on Friday is coming without livestock from the red zone area, from places like Ngamiland and the Okavango area in Botswana. The second group that will be repatriated at a later stage will be coming from the green zone, from areas such as the Ghanzi area.

In preparation, the government has secured 21 hectares which will serve as a reception area in Gam for the Batswana of Namibian descent.

The ministry of agriculture in collaboration with the Kambazembi Traditional Authority has secured 245 807 hectares of communal land west of Gam as a grazing area for the livestock of the Bats
wana of Namibian descent.

Source: The Namibia News Agency