Landowners withdraw 53 farms as Govt eyes more productive land
Government says landowners acting in bad faith
Agriculture minister Inge Zaamwani said landowners withdrew 53 farms from the market over the past two financial years to avoid acquisition by the government.
Zaamwani told Parliament last week when she responded to Swanu MP Evilastus Kaaronda's question that in the last financial year, landowners withdrew 27 farms just before the state could exercise its preferential right, including issuing a counteroffer to the farmers.
According to Zaamwani, landowners have withdrawn 26 other farms in this current financial year.
“Landowners are not offering their farms to the state in good faith,” she said.
The minister explained that such withdrawals occur when the government offers prices that farm owners deem too low.
“So rather than selling at a low price, the owners withdraw the farm, keep it in the market, keep it for themselves, and later bring it back on the market again. This is the challenge, and so far, land is acquired on the basis of the willing seller, willing buyer principle,” Zaamwani said.
Constitutional protection for property
Zaamwani also addressed the issue of fair and just compensation in land reform, urging lawmakers to consider Namibia’s constitutional provisions.
“With regards to whether fair and just compensation is a good regimen, I would like to draw the attention of this House to Article 16 of our Constitution that guarantees the right to property, with Paragraph 1 providing everyone with the right to acquire, own, and dispose of property. Namibia also, in addition, has ratified international conventions on other rights to own property,” she said.
She added that the Constitution allows expropriation under specific conditions.
“However, Article 16(2) of our Constitution makes provision for expropriation of property,” Zaamwani said, adding that the Article also provides for the state or a competent body authorised by law to expropriate in the public interest, subject to the payment of just compensation.
"So, this is the issue: expropriation is permitted, but we must pay just compensation,” she said.
List of foreign-owned farms
Responding to calls for a list of land owned by foreign nationals, Zaamwani said her ministry does not have the authority to release private ownership details.
“I must point out that as a ministry, we do not have a mandate to reveal private information related to property ownership.
"However, honourable members interested can go to the registry office, the Deeds Registry, and find out for themselves which farm is owned by whom,” she explained.
Six months ago, Namibian Sun reported that, following the perceived failure of the willing-buyer, willing-seller land reform model, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah announced plans to intensify focus on absentee landowners and strengthen land tax policies to accelerate redistribution and address Namibia’s deep-rooted inequality.
Speaking to Al Jazeera earlier this year, Nandi-Ndaitwah said the government aims to bring at least 130 000 hectares of land into productive use over the next five years, guided by the forthcoming Land Bill.
“It is true, and known by many who have followed Namibia’s history, that at the time of our independence, much of the land was in the hands of individuals.
"And land being part of property, and the Constitution being very clear on property, we had to develop laws, and we started with the willing-buyer, willing-seller model. But we realised it wasn’t working,” she said.
Powers for state acquisition
The new 2025 Land Bill gives the minister responsible for land reform broad powers to acquire commercial farms in the public interest, marking a major shift from the long-standing “willing-buyer, willing-seller” model.
Replacing the 1995 Agricultural (Commercial) Land Reform Act, the Bill establishes a more assertive, state-led redistribution framework aimed at accelerating resettlement and addressing social and economic inequalities.
According to Section 81, land may be acquired for Namibians who are landless, inadequately resourced, historically disadvantaged or otherwise vulnerable, including the unemployed. “The purpose is to address social and economic imbalances in Namibian society and bring about equitable access to land,” the Bill states.
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Zaamwani told Parliament last week when she responded to Swanu MP Evilastus Kaaronda's question that in the last financial year, landowners withdrew 27 farms just before the state could exercise its preferential right, including issuing a counteroffer to the farmers.
According to Zaamwani, landowners have withdrawn 26 other farms in this current financial year.
“Landowners are not offering their farms to the state in good faith,” she said.
The minister explained that such withdrawals occur when the government offers prices that farm owners deem too low.
“So rather than selling at a low price, the owners withdraw the farm, keep it in the market, keep it for themselves, and later bring it back on the market again. This is the challenge, and so far, land is acquired on the basis of the willing seller, willing buyer principle,” Zaamwani said.
Constitutional protection for property
Zaamwani also addressed the issue of fair and just compensation in land reform, urging lawmakers to consider Namibia’s constitutional provisions.
“With regards to whether fair and just compensation is a good regimen, I would like to draw the attention of this House to Article 16 of our Constitution that guarantees the right to property, with Paragraph 1 providing everyone with the right to acquire, own, and dispose of property. Namibia also, in addition, has ratified international conventions on other rights to own property,” she said.
She added that the Constitution allows expropriation under specific conditions.
“However, Article 16(2) of our Constitution makes provision for expropriation of property,” Zaamwani said, adding that the Article also provides for the state or a competent body authorised by law to expropriate in the public interest, subject to the payment of just compensation.
"So, this is the issue: expropriation is permitted, but we must pay just compensation,” she said.
List of foreign-owned farms
Responding to calls for a list of land owned by foreign nationals, Zaamwani said her ministry does not have the authority to release private ownership details.
“I must point out that as a ministry, we do not have a mandate to reveal private information related to property ownership.
"However, honourable members interested can go to the registry office, the Deeds Registry, and find out for themselves which farm is owned by whom,” she explained.
Six months ago, Namibian Sun reported that, following the perceived failure of the willing-buyer, willing-seller land reform model, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah announced plans to intensify focus on absentee landowners and strengthen land tax policies to accelerate redistribution and address Namibia’s deep-rooted inequality.
Speaking to Al Jazeera earlier this year, Nandi-Ndaitwah said the government aims to bring at least 130 000 hectares of land into productive use over the next five years, guided by the forthcoming Land Bill.
“It is true, and known by many who have followed Namibia’s history, that at the time of our independence, much of the land was in the hands of individuals.
"And land being part of property, and the Constitution being very clear on property, we had to develop laws, and we started with the willing-buyer, willing-seller model. But we realised it wasn’t working,” she said.
Powers for state acquisition
The new 2025 Land Bill gives the minister responsible for land reform broad powers to acquire commercial farms in the public interest, marking a major shift from the long-standing “willing-buyer, willing-seller” model.
Replacing the 1995 Agricultural (Commercial) Land Reform Act, the Bill establishes a more assertive, state-led redistribution framework aimed at accelerating resettlement and addressing social and economic inequalities.
According to Section 81, land may be acquired for Namibians who are landless, inadequately resourced, historically disadvantaged or otherwise vulnerable, including the unemployed. “The purpose is to address social and economic imbalances in Namibian society and bring about equitable access to land,” the Bill states.
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