KEETMANSHOOP: Ten small-scale grape farmers in the Aussenkehr settlement along the Orange River have become homeless after Government evicted them from plots they worked on for 11 years.

The eviction took place yesterday afternoon, despite the farmers’ pleas that they have nowhere to go, and that they have invested too much in the projects for them to lose it in just one day.The farmers are part of the Orange River Irrigation Project (ORIP) that started in 2001.

They were evicted from the Government vineyards after they decided to sell their produce to a Dutch-based company in 2010. This was in violation of an agreement with the Agriculture Ministry that obliges them to sell their grapes to Cool Fresh Namibia (CFN), a service provider appointed by Government.

The Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) today launched this year’s Windhoek Lager Ambassadors’ programme, which recognises Namibians who have done extraordinary things.

For the past two years, the programme has recognised Namibians who had received international acclaims. Its format has now, however, changed, and the programme will now seek to recognise Namibians who have done extraordinary things nationally.

NBL Brand Manager of the Windhoek Trade Mark, Jacquiline Pack said during the launch that these individuals often go unrecognised in society, as their contributions are only noticeable by individual communities and not necessarily through international achievement of some sort.

To further enhance the programme and cement what Windhoek Lager stands for, the nominations will have to exert certain values and characteristics such as being visionary, having perseverance and authenticity, and not compromising on beliefs. The first nominations for the first category, which is education, will commence from 01 October this year, with the final set for May 2013.