STAFF REPORTER
MINISTER of Agriculture,Fisheries,Water and Land Reform Inge Zaamwani-Kamwi has described the poor access to land experienced by some Namibians,particularly the previously disadvantaged black communities as a national concern. Speaking at the occasion of giving nine farm workers their land allotment letters on Wednesday,Zaamwani-Kamwi said the Government has set a target of acquiring 15 million hectares of land for resettlement.
Namibia has been following a willing seller, willing buyer model to redistribute land to the marginalized black communities who were displaced from their ancestral land during years of German colonial dominance. However critics have raised concern that the willing seller,willing buyer model has not redistributed land fast enough since the country attained independence in 1990. “ …Despite these efforts, the Government has observed with grave concern a deeply troubling trend, where a significant number of people are forced to graze livestock and reside in corridors or on severely congested and overcrowded farmlands owing to lack of access to land.
This trend is prominent in Erongo, Hardap, Kunene,//Kharas, Omaheke, Oshikoto and Otjozondjupa regions,”she said. Zaamwani-Kamwi said the practice of forcefully evicting long-serving generational farm workers, and abandoning them in corridors is not only inhumane, but is unacceptable. “We urge all farm owners to exercise restraint from such practice and embrace dialogue in order to seek dignified and sustainable solutions, which uphold the dignity and rights of such individuals, who have contributed to our farms for generations.
“Furthermore, the Government cautions the public that any individuals claiming to be generational farm workers or alleging eviction in order to unlawfully occupy corridors or with the intention to benefit from land allocations under false pretenses will not be entertained,” she said. She said allocations for land under the initiative will be scrutinised to ensure that only genuinely affected individuals, who meet the established criteria will benefit from this program.
She said Government will uphold the integrity of the process to ensure its success and fairness. “To those of you who are fortunate to receive land allocations today, we implore you to make the most of this life-changing opportunity. Use this land productively and sustainably. Let it be a source of your prosperity and a contribution to our nation’s food security,” she said. According to Zaamwani-Kamwi land is a resource to uplift lives.
“The Ministry has set an ambitious target of 15 million hectares to be acquired, with five million hectares earmarked for acquisition through the National Resettlement Programme (NRP) and ten million through the Affirmation Action Loan Scheme (AALS). “Since 1990, our redistributive land reform programme has seen the Government actively acquire large-scale commercial farms in the freehold sector on a ‘willing seller-willing buyer’ basis,” she said.
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