Namibia country report

A shop at Drimiopsisshop as a livelihood strategy. He was born in Gobabis in 1962 to parents of San and Damaradescent. He completed Standard 2 (today Grade 4) and left school at the age of 10 or 12. Forthe next five years he stayed at his mother’s house, not engaging in any activities. At age 17he started to think about what he could do for a living without having to engage in wagedlabour. Avoiding waged labour was a “political decision”, he said, as he felt that the wealthof the whites should have been his wealth. He therefore decided to work for himself andsaw an opportunity for business. He started his business by selling sweets and bubblegumfrom his mother’s house. A demand for candles and matches arose and he added these tohis line of goods. In addition he sold old bottles which children collected for him in returnfor sweets and bubblegum. The bottles were sold to a white man.He first went to Drimiopsis not to settle there but to be with the ‘woman of his life’. At thetime he was informed that government would provide food, a house and a coffin to peoplewho resettled. He decided to resettle because government would do everything for him,and indeed he received a house, food and blankets.As there was no shop at Drimiopsis at the time, he decided to set up shop there, and startedtrading from his tent. After initial opposition from the project manager employed by theMLRR, Rudolf formally applied in 1994 for a license to run a shop at the scheme and wasgranted one, on condition that he would not continue trading from his tent, but rather buildLivelihoods after Section Land Reform: B ● 6. Group Namibia Resettlement country report Schemes (2010) ● 155