ON Friday, members of the San community who have been resettled at Farm Uitkomst received 50 ewes, two rams, two cows and a solar panel from the Deputy Prime Minister Libertina Ama-thila.

This farm is situated 275 km northeast of Okahandja in the Otjozondjupa Region. About 52 households, or 368 people, have been resettled there - officially since August 2009.

At the same occasion, Amathila also launched the Farm Uitkomst Community Trust. This trust now stands on N$55 000.

She urged the community to take good care of the animals and the solar panel. It emerged that another solar panel was stolen the previous weekend. Apparently, theft is a regular occurrence and it is suspected that insiders are responsible.

Also on the farm is a school with two Grade one and two Grade two classes with a total of 109 pupils. A small clinic staffed by a nurse has also been built to serve the community.

However, although it is understood that some members of this small community have died of AIDS-related causes, no HIV testing can be done at the clinic.

Teenage pregnancy also seems to be a problem. Almost every young woman that The Namibian saw during Friday's ceremony had a baby on her hip. Amathila issued a stern warning to the men: "I will continue to warn you men to zip up."

Although no alcohol is allowed on the farm, it appears that some men and women go to neighbouring farms, drink themselves to a standstill and then return to Uitkomst to cause havoc.

Residents spoken to seem consistently grateful to have been resettled on the farm. However, there is some concern about unemployment.

Elfrieda Mouton said she has six daughters and three sons. Although not all these children live with her, she is a single parent and needs to feed and clothe them on her own.

Mouton also expressed unhappiness with the fact that the graveyard on Farm Uitkomst has no fence around it, and, according to her, cattle and donkeys walk over and urinate and defecate on the graves of their loved ones.

Amathila, who is expected to retire soon, undertook to continue fighting for the upliftment of the San community.

"Although I will be on retirement, I will not just leave you and this project just like this. I will assist where I can."

She urged the community to do their part in creating opportunities for themselves as opposed to just relying on Government to help them: "Daai outere is klaar. (That begging is something of the past.)"