Uerikua slams foreign-priced land deals

Former Otjozondjupa governor and current Swapo member of parliament James Uerikua recently tore into Namibia’s property market, accusing it of favouring foreign elites at the expense of ordinary citizens and national interest.With land prices soaring into the hundreds of millions and some commercial farms now being advertised in foreign currencies, Uerikua warned that the country is on a dangerous path that excludes the very people it claims to empower.Addressing the National Assembly last week, Uerikua questioned the intent behind exorbitantly priced commercial farms. “The exorbitant cost of land is a serious concern in the Republic of Namibia. Today, commercial farms are being sold for as much as a hundred million. What is even more alarming is that some of these properties are advertised in foreign currencies, particularly in euros and pounds,” he said.“The question I always ask myself is, who is the target customer? This very August House must take responsibility and address this issue. We cannot continue to allow narratives that shift blame or deflect responsibility. We must confront the land issue head-on and ensure that we respond effectively to these challenges,” he added.Uerikua argued in favour of a bold land reform strategy, especially in the upcoming Land Bill, which includes provisions for land expropriation. “Junias Kandjeke gave us a report and he says 36.7 million hectares of land are still in the hands of the previously advantaged members of our society. We need to be united and again fight against that very injustice. An injustice where the land ownership was never given back to its rightful people,” he said.Communal land issues Uerikua also called for legal and financial frameworks that make rural properties bankable assets. "It is deeply troubling that land in these areas has no real value. Properties built on communal land cannot be used as collateral. We need to reach a point where communal land is bankable, where developments on such land are recognised and accepted as collateral by financial institutions,” he stressed.In addition, he defended Meatco, a state-owned enterprise under pressure from private sector competition, saying that while competition is welcomed, it should not destroy entities with national mandates. “Meatco must be protected, come what may. We therefore strongly recommend the implementation of a robust turnaround strategy,” he said.Following the perceived failure of the willing buyer, willing seller land reform model, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah recently said she is targeting a shift in approach by intensifying focus on absentee landowners and strengthening land tax policies to accelerate redistribution and address Namibia's deep-rooted inequality.New strategy Speaking during a recent interview with Al Jazeera, Nandi-Ndaitwah said government aims to bring at least 130 000 hectares of land into productive use over the next five years. This, she said, will be guided by the long-awaited land bill that is currently making its way to parliament.“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.The president pointed to the outcomes of the land conference, after which the government introduced land tax measures and targeted absentee landlords. “Some of them surrendered land, and those who were landless were settled. The government has also acquired land and people were resettled," she said during the interview."However, there is still a gap," she said, adding that "now we’ve developed programmes to implement the Constitution through expropriation."The president noted that the new land bill will guide future strategies to ensure more equitable distribution.nikanor@nmh-hub.com.na

Uerikua slams foreign-priced land deals

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

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Uerikua slams foreign-priced land deals

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

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