Namibia country report

6 GROUPRESETTLEMENTSCHEMESOfficially, the MLR runs 14 group resettlement schemes across the country. Half of themare located in communal areas and the other half in the commercial or freehold sector.Three, namely Drimiopsis, Skoonheid and Donkerbos/Sonneblom, are in Omaheke Regionand two, Westfalen and Bernafey, are in Hardap Region (Meliczek 2008: 11). As opposed toother farms where large groups of people have been settled, group resettlement projectsof the MLR are defined in terms of specific official membership and by the fact that somehave project co-ordinators appointed by the MLR. At the time of field visit, Drimiopsis andSkoonheid had project co-ordinators while Bernafey and Westfalen did not. (Donkerbos/Sonneblom is outside the study area.) Where co-ordinators have been appointed, theirresponsibilities are limited to the resettlement projects; they have little knowledge and nomandates with regard to individual beneficiaries who may have been settled in the campsof a farm accommodating an official group resettlement project. An example of such a farmis Skoonheid where nine individual beneficiaries are farming independently of the groupresettlement project on land allocated to individuals.6.1 Characteristics of beneficiaries6.1.1 Social categories of beneficiariesA marked difference between the group resettlement schemes in Omaheke and Hardapis their ethnic composition. Beneficiaries on the Drimiopsis and Skoonheid schemes inOmaheke are almost exclusively of San origin, while the ethnic origins of those on Westfalenand Bernafey are diverse, i.e. Nama, Damara, Owambo, Kavango and Caprivian. This is duemainly to the fact that Omaheke has a relatively large San population.The 1 200 ha Westfalen resettlement scheme was started in 1997. Most of its beneficiarieshail from the north-central regions of Namibia. Seven of the official beneficiaries indicatedthat they were settled there after their applications for resettlement proved successful. Oneperson stated that he lived on the farm without the MLR’s permission but then applied tobe resettled and was permitted to stay there.The 3 730 ha Bernafey scheme was also started in 1997. When the MLR bought the farm,the farm workers there were allowed to stay and continue cultivating the existing gardens.Livelihoods after Section Land Reform: B ● 6. Group Namibia Resettlement country report Schemes (2010) ● 123