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Residents of the Tsumkwe Conservancy, who are mostly from marginalized San communities, claim that fencing for buffalo trophy hunting in areas where the devil’s claw grows only serves to impoverish them, amid allegations that they receive little of the N$8 million in trophy hunting revenue generated annually in the area.
The San people in the region rely heavily on income from devil’s claw, which is exported as medicine.
The Namibian Sun spoke to several families in and around Tumkwe who said the conservancy only provides subsidies to everyone over the age of 18 in December, after which they are left to fend for themselves and food is left “behind the fence”.
According to Kxao Kxoan, a resident of the Rutpos in the Nayanaya Conservancy, they are being mistreated not only by their own representatives but also by outsiders. The community accuses Chief Tsamkxao ≠Oma of colluding with government officials and international conservationists to benefit only himself and his family.
“We were told not to look for devil’s claws in the fenced-off lands of the Avambo and Owaherero people. We suffered. This year, we have nothing to do. We depend on devil’s claws for our livelihood and we used to go out and pick them near our homes. Now we can no longer do that. We can’t even get bush tucker,” he said.
Never heard of
The group further accused the chiefs of colluding with Awambo and Owaherero farmers who have reportedly illegally fenced off land within the reserve and abused the San people. “When we go to the other side, they (complain), when we cross the road where there is a fence, we are not allowed to enter. Where the fence is, there is a pool of water with a massive growth of devil’s claw. They have blocked us off – we have no food and now we are just sitting around doing nothing,” he said.
Kxoan added that while they thought they could voice their concerns at the conservancy’s annual general meeting, no one listened to them because they were vulnerable and poor.
Oma denied the allegations, saying the fence was built with the full consent of all community members. But he admitted that the Owaherero and Awambo people had “invaded” the reserve.
He said the “invaders” had confiscated the San’s cattle and prevented them from using water points. “The San have areas where they usually harvest devil’s claw. (But) maybe the real problem is not devil’s claw. When the government brought disease-free buffaloes, they decided to set up camp there. It’s not right that someone is stopping them from going there, but they are not allowed to go there,” he said.
The chief also pointed out that the Awambo and Owaherero communities did not take them seriously when they were asked to leave the area. “They even brought their cattle here and we could not say anything.”
Friendly solution
The area is home to many elephants and other wild animals from Kaodum National Park, said Romeo Muyunda, a spokesman for the environment ministry, adding that the fence was to protect the area from foot-and-mouth disease.
“They do collect devil’s claw. If there is a challenge, they should be able to tell us so we can resolve it amicably. I am not sure if anyone has challenged us. The buffalo camp has been there for many years. Apart from this camp, the Tsumkwe people have devil’s claw everywhere.
“Through the reserve, they earn at least N8 million per year from hunting. This is a core area and it must be protected for their benefit,” he said.
Exploited by the Global North
A 2024 University of Namibia report, A Rich Resource for Poor Communities: An Analysis of Namibia’s Access and Benefit-Sharing Legislation, states that while global trade in devil’s claw is not currently publicly available, estimates based on 2004 values put exports at an annual value of more than US$143 million (N$2.6 billion).
The report also says that despite the efforts of the Sustainable Harvesting of Devil’s Claw project, San communities involved in harvesting the plant do not trade directly with industries in the Global North.
“Instead, they work with intermediary companies such as exporters, earning insufficient income to significantly improve their livelihoods. Only a small number of community members are employed by the industry, mainly as co-managers of sustainable logging, typically earning less than N$3,500 per month,” the report reads.
The report added that community members harvest and add value by cleaning, cutting, drying and packing the material for exporters, “earning an average of only N$1,538 per harvester per year”.
“Notably, the exporters consisted of only five white Namibians and one white South African, which seems to reflect the legacy of post-colonialism,” the report reads.
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