Namibia country report

which was too far away to visit as she did not have transport. She could hitchhike, but fearedgetting lost as she no longer remembered the farm’s exact location. She visited her sister inGobabis whenever she had money to hitchhike.Alfons, born in Kavango Region, had been employed as a contract worker on a commercialfarm in Omaheke. After being resettled at Skoonheid in 2000, he lost touch with most ofhis relatives and acquaintances. Only his sister visited him occasionally. His children visitedrelatives in Kavango, but he and his wife did not have enough money even to hitch a ride toKavango. Maintaining contact with his relatives was more difficult from Skoonheid thanfrom the farm where he had worked. As a contract worker, he had money as well as regularholidays which made it possible to travel to the north every December.While some beneficiaries visited their relatives on commercial farms, others preferred theirrelatives to visit them. Clemens felt strongly that his wife’s relatives who lived in town hadto visit them at Skoonheid so that they could see how they were living there. If they likedSkoonheid, they might decide to stay as they were struggling in town.6.1.4 Settlers’ social relations and networksThe most important social relationships at Drimiopsis and Skoonheid are those betweenfamily members. Family ties have played an important role in facilitating access to the groupresettlement schemes without formally applying for a place. The project co-ordinator atSkoonheid stated that he could not chase newcomers away as official beneficiaries saw itas their right to accommodate family members. This view was supported by the perceptionthat the entire Skoonheid farm was for San people only. Family members have been animportant source of assistance in times of need, such as when there is a shortage of food orof labour for cultivating gardens.Elfrieda, an unmarried woman with five children, settled at Skoonheid because she losther employment on a commercial farm. She had two years of schooling, and did not knowher age. She had spent her whole life with her father working on commercial farms. Circa2000, the farm owner wrongly accused her father of stealing small stock, which in facthad been eaten by lynxes, so her father left the farm with her and went to the neighbouringcommunal area of Epukiro. Having no work in Epukiro, she decided to join her family atSkoonheid. Her sister, grandfather and his daughter and son-in-law were the first membersof her family to settle at Skoonheid, soon after the farm was bought for resettlement. Laterher father also settled there.Elfrieda arrived at Skoonheid with two children and bore another three there. Althoughshe and the father of the latter three no longer lived together and he had married anotherwoman at the farm where he was working, he still provided support for the three children.After they separated, Elfrieda moved to her father’s house at Skoonheid. Then, when hergrandfather fell ill (one month prior to the field visit), she moved to his house to be hiscaretaker. Believing that he may die, he informed her that he had bequeathed his house tohis son who was working in the communal area, and asked her to stay in the house in theLivelihoods after Section Land Reform: B ● 6. Group Namibia Resettlement country report Schemes (2010) ● 133