Censorbugbear reports...

Rehoboth-Baster farmer Ernest Jacobus Cloete, 73, murdered in Namibia:

Dec 1 2011 - The Republikein newspaper reports frrom Windhoek, Namibia that Ernst Jacobus Cloete, 73, was found tortured to death, hogtied with hands-and-feet. He was hidden beneath branches 150 metres from his homestead in the Rehoboth region of Namibia..

The find was made Tuesday at 10am by the police. About 50 metres from his body his bakkie was parked: the key in its ignition was broken off. 

Mr Cloete is a member of the Afrikaans-Christian Rehoboth-Baster minority and did not own any farm-land: he had been farming with sheep, goats and cattle at the Three Rivier commons which is leased by the city council. His wallet, personal documents, a gun and 28 sheep are msising. His son Hugo says he believes his father was murdered Monday between 3pm and 7pm."My dad was still talking with his neighbour between 2pm and 3pm Monday.
The neighbour's herdsman showed up at Cloete's leased property at 7pm to fetch back some of his cattle which had been grazing on the commons." He saw my dad's bakkie standing there, but just kept on fetching his own cattle.' Hugo said the police had made an announcement over Rehoboth Community radio station on Tuesday-mornng about sheep wandering around."The neighbour went to the commons to check out whether some of those may be his animals at Drie Rivier - and saw that his bakkie's key had been broken off in the ignition'.The police was warned at the same time by Mr Cloete's children reporting him missing and they found him during a search.Mr Cloete is survived by his wife Clara, five sons and three daughters.
Story by Republikein journalist Henriette Lamprecht
http://www.republikein.com.na/politiek-en-nasionale/misdaad/grumoord-op-bejaarde-boer.138944.php

The Rehoboth Basters strive to peacefully regain their autonomy dating from 1870 – joined Unrepresented Nations and Peoples’ Organisation to reach this goal:

The Rehoboth Basters, a minority of about 35,000 people, are an Afrikaans-speaking, Christian people living in the Hardap and Khomas province in Namibia - who want to regain their independence they had between 1870 to 1990.
They strive to regain their autonomy on their territory of about 14,000 km2 from Namibia and belong to the Unrepresented Nations and People's organisation.

UNPO REPRESENTATION
The Rehoboth Basters are represented within UNPO by the Captains Council, which is the people's traditional leadership body.
The Council consists of the Captain, who is elected by the Rehoboth Baster people, and three Council members. The current Captain is Mr. John McNab.

From 1870 to 1990 this area was called Rehoboth and already had an autonomous status. Currently it is divided in the Namibian administrative provinces of Hardap and Khomas.
The climate is dry and warm.

The Rehoboth Basters are the descendants of Boer voortrekkers and indigenous Khoi-People of Southern Africa.
As a consequence of the social and political structures of the times they were not acceptable in white communities. Their Khoi forebears also kept aloof of them probably for the reason that they had adopted the culture and language of their Boer forefathers. Missionaries gathered the various clans in and around mission stations where they gave them some education and training in the virtues of Christianity. The clan eventually Trekked to ancestral homelands of the Khoi in South West Africa and when reaching their destination succeeded in buying a large piece of land from the Swartboois tribe - with the consent of all the Central and Southern Chieftains of the country.

They developed their own political system which was in use for more than one hundred and thirty years and which guaranteed to them the right to self-determination throughout the colonial periods and was recognized by the German Empire and the Government of the Union of South Africa.

During the German Colonial period a Treaty of Protection and Friendship was concluded between the German Kaiser and the Rehoboth Basters in which his Excellency the German Kaiser recognized the rights and freedom the Basters had acquired for themselves.
Though the German Colonial Administration made many inroads on the freedom of the Basters and infringed on their lands they kept their rights to exercise their self-determination.

Boer-General Louis Botha  adamant to allow autonomy rights for Basters:

The Government of the Union of South Africa in 1915 superseded the German Colonial Government. Right from the beginning of the |”South African Military Administration” they tried to deny the Basters the right to self-determination. General Botha however was adamant that the Basters should keep their rights as exercised under German Administration. During 1920 South West Africa (Namibia) was granted civil administration. Alienation of land through proclamation and chicanery of law were rife at the time. It is estimated that during periods of German and South African rule 2/3 of original Basterland had been alienated.

During 1923 an international treaty was entered into between the South West African Administration representing the Government of the Union of South Africa, representing the British Empire on the one hand and Rehoboth Baster Captain Cornelius Van Wyk and his council on the other representing the Rehoboth Basters.

This treaty was concluded for the Basters to benefit from section 22 of the Treaty of Versailles 1919. South Africa as mandatory power however never developed the Basters as required by section 22. (The Sacred Trust of Civilization). Instead South Africa started to colonize the country.

International pressure against South Africa in years to come become so great that they yielded to certain demands. One of such prerequisites was the right to self-determination for the Baster People. On 2nd July 1979 the Basters received Self-Government based on their Paternal Laws by means of an Act of South African Parliament Act 56 of 1976. From 1979 to 1989 Rehoboth developed, grew and prospered on all levels.

However as soon as the communist-ruled government of the black-tribal-dominated South West People's Organisation party were installed, the situation was reversed.At that moment, all land that the members of the Baster Community possess was alienated.

These assets were registered in the name of the Captain and Council for and on behalf of Rehoboth Baster Community and included building properties, breeding stock and cash. All their sources of income were effectively cut off by this action of Government. No compensation was paid as the Namibian Constitution stipulates in such cases. No other traditional authority suffered such experience.

Rehoboth was further divided in two parts and these parts were added to two larger constituencies namely Khomas and Hardap regions. The delimitation will thus effectively prohibit the Basters from gaining their own representative in Parliament.

UNPO’s application to be registered as an Traditional Authority was denied seemingly on account of the “absence of traditional land”.
Rehoboth Traditional Land was confiscated and transferred to the Government of Namibia on the strength of paragraph 1 of schedule 5 of the Constitution of Namibia.

UNPO maintains that it was their opinion 'that this course of action was unfair and unjust. "All four paragraphs of schedule 5 should be read together. Paragraph 3 upholds the existing rights, charge, obligation and trust of every Namibian on his or her property. By omitting paragraph 3 in this transfer of land the Basters are excluded from the provisions of the Constitution on property rights. Schedule 5 would then also not be in harmony with the rest of the constitution in section 16. It is our sincere conviction that by taking this path of action the Namibian government had not only contravened the Namibian constitution but also breached the principles for the independence of Namibia.”
http://www.unpo.org/members/7881
http://www.rehobothbasters.org

24 May 2011 Sehodihul Sewpersadh, 79, bludgeoned to death, Oslo Beach, Port Shepstone KZN

24 May 2011 SAPS lt.col Zandra Wiid confirmed that Port Shepstone detective found an old age pensioner bludgeoned to death when responding to a house-robbery complaint last Friday. They found the critically injured pensioner Sehodihul Sewpersadh (79), inside his house. He was rushed to hospital with critical head-injuries and died there. Another tenant in the same building had also lodged a formal complaint of house-robbery when it was found that jewellery, an LCD TV and cash were taken from the pensioner’s room. SAPS Port Shepstone  (Phone: 039-6881029/30 Fax: 039-6881196)

10 May 2011 Pete Denver Smith, 84, bludgeoned to death, Southport home, Port Shepstone KZN

Pete Denver Smith was bludgeoned to death by unknown attackers on May 8 2011. SAPS lt.col Zandra Wiid confirmed that a friend found Mr Smith bludgeoned to death in the bathroom of his home by a friend. “Mr Smith had multiple open wounds to the face, head and hand," said Lt-Col Wiid. "The  garage door was open and two safes had been opened. A small amount of cash was missing.”  Police are investigating. The picture was supplied by the SAPS.

Louise Pitzer, 71, murdered, Umtentweni home, KZN

2 June 2011   The senseless murders of four elderly people has left the community in a state of shock and in the grip of fear. The latest victim, Louise Pitzer (71) was killed in her Umtentweni home last weekend and others in the neighbourhood now fear for their safety. “I used to feel safe but now I don’t,” said an 85-year-old  woman who lives on her own. “I should be able to sleep in peace at this stage of my life, instead of being scared all the time. We cannot even enjoy being in our gardens and have to stay locked up like prisoners in our houses,” she said.

Mr John Irven of Umtentweni’s Community Safety Organisation tel 0396824076, and 0396824407 appealed to residents in the village and the South Coast to stand together.It is a well known fact that the police do not have the manpower to provide sufficient protection so we as ratepayers must stand together.  “Unity is strength and together we can make a difference through neighbourhood watches and vehicle patrols,” said Mr Irven.In recent weeks, Sheodihul Sewparsad (79) of Oslo Beach, Pete Denver Smith (82) of Southport and Edgar Morsden (79) of Palm Beach were all kill murdered in their homes. There have also been a number of attacks on elderly residents as was reported in the local Herald.

Edgar Morsden, 79, murdered, Palm Beach KZN home

http://www.saps.gov.za/_dynamicModules/internetSite/HPstations.asp?Pid=3