OvaHimba & OvaTjimba petition the Baynes Hydropower dam

By Eric Mhunduru

A group of the OvaHimba and OvaTjimba indigenous communities, on Monday handed over a petition against the proposed 878 megawatts Baynes Hydropower dam, along the Kunene River.

Receiving the petition, Industries, Mines and Energy Minister, Modestus Amutse acknowledged the need for a roundtable dialogue between the parties involved, to reach an amicable understanding and way forward.

The petition carries 2 011 signatures from OvaHimba and OvaTjimba people in Namibia and Angola, and more than 500 people have also supported the petition online in solidarity with communities along the Kunene River.

Chief Mutaambanda Kapika, from the concerned communities, bemoaned the lack of consultations with the affected communities, who will be displaced once the construction commences, and they stand to lose their land without any proper relocation plans.

Meanwhile, senior councillor, Motjinduika Mutambo Kapika was pessimistic about the whole process, saying they do not see anything positive materialising from this process.

The affected communities argue that they have been resident in the area for over 500 years, and they have successfully opposed the Epupa dam in the 1990’s, which had the same effect as the proposed 878megawatts Baynes Hydropower project.

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