DISAGREEMENTS within the Bloukraans community over the ownership and registration of the Tsubes Camp and Petrified Forest in the Kunene region have led to long delays in the completion of a potentially unique tourist attraction 16 years after the initial idea was tabled.

A united Bloukraans community under the leadership of the late Thomas Thaniseb acquired the 21.16 hectare farm in the Khorixas district from the Kunene Regional Council in 2009 with the purpose of establishing a community lodge. The group alleges that the consent to implement a crafts project - which was the forerunner to the Tsubes Camp - was given in 1996 by the Swartbooi Traditional Authority under chief Ezekiel / Uirab, the only recognised traditional authority in the area at the time.
Through funding from the National Planning Commission’s Special Micro Projects, the Tsubes Camp became a reality, but the building process stalled due to the alleged disappearance of funds, reportedly at the hands of several members who opposed the plans of the Bloukraans community.
According to Johanna Thanises, wife of the late Thaniseb and current Bloukraans community leader, only half of the NPC grant was spent on setting up a half-completed building at the camp, until an outside investor in the form of Henties Bay-based businessman, Antonie Rossouw, stepped in to complete the construction of the main building and a swimming pool in June 2009.
Members of the community are now claiming that the dissenting group, led by Klaudius /Hoaeb, whose wife was the Bloukraans project manager since 1995 , received a N$1.8 million grant from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism without declaring it to the rest of the community.
“That grant from MET, Chief Ukongo’s refusal to accept our investor, Rossouw’s development plan and the opening of a community trust are the burning issues hindering the registration and opening of the Tsubes Camp and Petrified Forest” reported Thanises.
At a meeting held on the orders of Alfeus /Naruseb, Minister of Lands and Resettlement, in Outjo in February 2012 the Bloukraans community rejected /Hoaeb’s MET grant, opting to stick with Rossouw, whom they consider as someone with their interests at heart. According to the minutes of that indaba, the community allegedly “never sent /Hoaeb to apply for the grant and he allegedly refused to transfer the funds into the account of the leaseholder and community leader, Thomas Thaniseb.”
Mellow Thaniseb, a former employee at MET and the official assigned to oversee the proper usage of the MET grant, however denies that the funds were given to /Hoaeb. “The grant was approved, but was not issued due to the community’s infighting”.
/Hoaeb also denied the allegations that he went behind the community’s back in soliciting the MET grant. “As the project coordinator I was assigned that task by the late Thaniseb. The problem in Bloukraans is that some members want other members out of the project and to bring in a white investor, who is only willing to give the community 15% of the income, while he walks away with 85%. I’m advocating that the project benefits the community only,” /Hoaeb told Informanté.
“Rossouw only built a swimming pool at the site over the three years that he has been part of the project,” added /Hoaeb. Another member of /Hoaeb’s faction reported that Rossouw’s contract with the community was drawn up by his legal advisor and that contrary to the Traditional Authorities Act, Rossouw had the agreement signed by the headman of Daurodaman, instead of Chief Petrus Ukongo of the #Aodaman Traditional Authority.
Those allegations have now resulted in the opening of a crimen injuria case by Rossouw against Chief Ukongo.