Lands accused of creating chaos

The Ministry of Land Reform and Resettlement has been accused of creating chaos through group resettlement and taking economical farming units and making them unproductive.

The ministry was also rapped over the knuckles for lease agreements that do not comply with the law. It was also highlighted that the ministry is buying farms for other ministries instead of using these farms for resettlement purposes.

These statements were made yesterday when the ministry was questioned by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts on the reports of the auditor-general on the accounts of the land reform and resettlement programme 2010 to 2013.

The committee specifically wanted to know whether the ministry would be able to take rich farmers out of communal areas to create more space for upcoming farmers.

The permanent secretary in the land reform ministry, Peter Amutenya, said the question was also raised at the first land conference when Namibia had about 4 600 white farmers.

“The process is still ongoing and it remains a challenge for Namibia to address rich farmers to leave communal areas.” The chairperson of the committee, Mike Kavekotora, said the ministry is taking economical units of 5 000 hectares and dividing them into uneconomical units.

“You know you are responsible for the communal areas. Rich farmers are depleting grazing in these areas, causing overgrazing. You will create space if you take out the rich farmers.”

He further said that the ministry was creating chaos through group resettlement and that commercial farming was much more controlled. “You are surrendering that person to poverty through this programme,” he said. Furthermore, the ministry was questioned about the total number of farms that have been bought in the south and were not used for resettlement.

Amutenya admitted that in total 42 farming units were bought but not used for resettlement by 2012/13.

He said of these, 16 units had water problems and 11 were put on the ministry''s priority list where 12 boreholes were drilled the following financial year, but no water was found.

“You bought farms and only after that you realised that there is no water. Is that a prudent way of acquiring an asset?” Kavekotora asked. Amutenya acknowledged that the processes used when acquiring some of the farms were insufficient.

He said a further 23 farming units still have not been allocated, while one was illegally occupied and two relinquished.

Amutenya said the government was not finding it difficult to acquire farms. “It is only in some regions that there is a problem.”

He admitted that the ministry had not reached its resettlement target, saying that the willing-buyer, willing seller method is partially working in some regions.

According to him, in Karas and Hardap regions offers for farms are coming in while the Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa, Khomas and Kunene regions remain a problem.

Kavekotora however charged that the people are not interested in hearing this, but only the fact that the process is hopelessly slow.

On another question, the committee said there are no allotment letters and lease agreements for farms allocated from the period 1992 to 1999 when the resettlement programme fell under the agricultural ministry although the list was handed over to the lands ministry.

Amutenya said there were some difficulties with the system and that out of 5 000 lease agreements 264 have been issued. These 264 lease agreements are only for the period of 2013/14 to the current financial period.

Kavekotora said the law says that lease agreements should be in order and therefore the ministry is in breach of the law.

The committee also asked the ministry how many farms had been bought for hunting purposes. According to Amutenya, seven game farms were acquired by the ministry. He said one of these farms was allocated to the environment ministry.

Kavekotora wanted to know if the ministry had the mandate to acquire farms on behalf of other ministries. “What was the objective to buy this farm for the environment ministry? You have a specific mandate to resettle previously disadvantaged people. Are you within your mandate?” he asked.

In response, Amutenya said the ministry was just assisting the government to acquire farms. “We are just the facilitators.”

“Is this in compliance with your mandate? No,” Kavekotora charged.