Geingob urged to 'drop empty talk'
The clamour for land is reaching fever pitch ahead of next week's State of the Nation Address in the National Assembly.
Land activists are adamant that President Hage Geingob's administration has been on a relentless quest of self-empowerment that has seen the poor being tossed aside, and further believe that his upcoming State of the Nation Address (Sona) will be more 'empty talk'.
All eyes will be on Geingob when he delivers his Sona next Wednesday and local political commentator Ndumba Kamwanyah believes the land issue has to be addressed, especially in light of recent happenings at home and in neighbouring South Africa.
Kamwanyah implored the president to assure the nation that Namibia had no intention of following the South African route of expropriating property without compensation, in its pursuit to distribute land.
“I hope the president will lay down the process of the land conference and how far government is in terms of planning it. Hopefully he will also lay down the key issues that he wants to be addressed during the conference,” he said.
The land conference that was initially scheduled for September 2017 was postponed indefinitely and its organisation was eventually moved from lands ministry to the Office of the Prime Minister.
The Sona is delivered during the committee stage of the debates on the annual Appropriation Bill in the National Assembly, in line with the country's constitution.
The Landless People's Movement (LPM) said Geingob's rule has been characterised by “disappointments” because what he had promised in two previous Sonas and his Harambee Prosperity Plan differed completely in theory and practice.
According to LPM member Henny Seibeb the Sona has become a joke.
“The meaning and importance of Sona has been misunderstood by Geingob and the Speaker of the National Assembly. It is more like a day for Geingob to regurgitate past failures and minimal government successes.
“He merely repeats the same old stories from Independence Day celebrations. So the Sona has become a joke in Namibia,” said Seibeb.
Nevertheless, the movement hoped the president would provide clear guidelines and timelines with regard to the land conference and that he would announce the formation of a commission to conduct scientific research and hold inclusive community workshops beforehand.
The LPM further implored the president to outline how he intended to clamp down on systematic corruption, ever-increasing poverty and inequality in rural communities.
“Geingob must also take swift action on corruption and not just sugar-coat it. If Geingob is serious, by this time he would have fired Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, Sacky Shanghala, Penda ya Ndakolo, Pohamba Shifeta, Bernhardt Esau, Alpheus !Naruseb, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and Frans Kapofi for perceived corruption and the embezzlement of funds.
“These are all highly compromised individuals in one way or another.
It seems Geingob believes in patronage, rent-seeking and crony capitalism,” Seibeb claimed.
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani said recently in parliament that the state of the nation must be thoroughly considered and that there could no longer be excuses why inequalities exist in Namibia.
“Land reform policies have mostly benefited well-off elites rather than the intended targets, the poor. The majority of our people live in informal settlements and in shacks, some are in substandard housing and occupying land illegally at the same time,” he said.
Land activist Apes Kaibeb said there was very little hope among the landless communities, as over the years only the politically connected had benefited from land reform.
He warned that Namibians would be driven to a point where they would grab land if the president did not drastically address the issue of landlessness.
“What else must people do if a business owner is given large tracts of land to build 60 and more plots, but a landless Namibian who wishes for just a small plot to build a house is denied this right?” asked Kaibeb.
JEMIMA BEUKES
All eyes will be on Geingob when he delivers his Sona next Wednesday and local political commentator Ndumba Kamwanyah believes the land issue has to be addressed, especially in light of recent happenings at home and in neighbouring South Africa.
Kamwanyah implored the president to assure the nation that Namibia had no intention of following the South African route of expropriating property without compensation, in its pursuit to distribute land.
“I hope the president will lay down the process of the land conference and how far government is in terms of planning it. Hopefully he will also lay down the key issues that he wants to be addressed during the conference,” he said.
The land conference that was initially scheduled for September 2017 was postponed indefinitely and its organisation was eventually moved from lands ministry to the Office of the Prime Minister.
The Sona is delivered during the committee stage of the debates on the annual Appropriation Bill in the National Assembly, in line with the country's constitution.
The Landless People's Movement (LPM) said Geingob's rule has been characterised by “disappointments” because what he had promised in two previous Sonas and his Harambee Prosperity Plan differed completely in theory and practice.
According to LPM member Henny Seibeb the Sona has become a joke.
“The meaning and importance of Sona has been misunderstood by Geingob and the Speaker of the National Assembly. It is more like a day for Geingob to regurgitate past failures and minimal government successes.
“He merely repeats the same old stories from Independence Day celebrations. So the Sona has become a joke in Namibia,” said Seibeb.
Nevertheless, the movement hoped the president would provide clear guidelines and timelines with regard to the land conference and that he would announce the formation of a commission to conduct scientific research and hold inclusive community workshops beforehand.
The LPM further implored the president to outline how he intended to clamp down on systematic corruption, ever-increasing poverty and inequality in rural communities.
“Geingob must also take swift action on corruption and not just sugar-coat it. If Geingob is serious, by this time he would have fired Katrina Hanse-Himarwa, Sacky Shanghala, Penda ya Ndakolo, Pohamba Shifeta, Bernhardt Esau, Alpheus !Naruseb, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and Frans Kapofi for perceived corruption and the embezzlement of funds.
“These are all highly compromised individuals in one way or another.
It seems Geingob believes in patronage, rent-seeking and crony capitalism,” Seibeb claimed.
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani said recently in parliament that the state of the nation must be thoroughly considered and that there could no longer be excuses why inequalities exist in Namibia.
“Land reform policies have mostly benefited well-off elites rather than the intended targets, the poor. The majority of our people live in informal settlements and in shacks, some are in substandard housing and occupying land illegally at the same time,” he said.
Land activist Apes Kaibeb said there was very little hope among the landless communities, as over the years only the politically connected had benefited from land reform.
He warned that Namibians would be driven to a point where they would grab land if the president did not drastically address the issue of landlessness.
“What else must people do if a business owner is given large tracts of land to build 60 and more plots, but a landless Namibian who wishes for just a small plot to build a house is denied this right?” asked Kaibeb.
JEMIMA BEUKES
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