MP threatens to grab land

JEMIMA BEUKES

Opposition parliamentarians have criticised sections of the Land Bill and threatened to grab land if the issue is not addressed urgently. The bill is being debated in the National Assembly and this week opposition MPs called for the withdrawal of the bill to allow for more consultations.

RDP MP Agnes Limbo said she would be the first to grab land if the government does not address the land delivery process, which she called “questionable”.

Limbo said she applied for land more than 20 years ago but has received no response. She alleged that all her documents have disappeared.

Another RDP MP, Mike Kavekotora, asked the lands minister how the bill in its current form intends to address the issue of dispossession in a way that “makes historical sense”.

At the time of going to print yesterday, there was no immediate confirmation whether the bill has been withdrawn or not.

Namibian Sun understands that a withdrawal is on the cards.

The Nangof Working Group on Land Reform said in a statement that all future legislation related to land reform must be put on hold until the holding of a second national land conference.

‘Lip service’

RDP’s Kavekotora also argued that the use of the word “dispossession” in the bill, without any further indication how it will be addressed, is nothing but lip service from the government.

“To do justice, the bill should start by identifying and acknowledging those whose land was taken away at gunpoint, in the same that the government identified the veterans and deemed it necessary for them to receive veteran status,” he said.

Swanu president Usutuaije Maamberua said the bill is riddled with inconsistencies and does not address ancestral land or the plight of descendants of genocide victims.

According to him, the government has failed these communities because it does not explain in the bill what mechanism or plans are in place that will address dispossession of land.

“It also does not talk about ancestral land. There is no way you can address land if you are not addressing ancestral land. Not every community lost land. Ancestral land is central to the land question,” he said.

Nudo’s Meundju Jahanika said the Land Bill is long overdue but pointed out that a land bill which does not recognise that the Nama and OvaHerero were dispossessed is not correct.

“The bill must make provision for Namas and OvaHerero to reclaim their ancestral land because they know where their forefathers and mothers used to live, as most farm names south of Oshivelo to the south are either in Otjiherero or in the Nama language. In Namibia you cannot talk about land without talking about the OvaHerero and Nama genocide,” he said.

Although welcoming the bill as an important piece of legislation, Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP) MP Salmon Fleermuys warned that violence could erupt if the land issue is not addressed urgently.