Nangof seeks resettlement moratorium
The Namibia Non-Governmental Organisation Forum (Nangof) Trust says one of the key resolutions it wants to see emerge from the country's second national land conference is the abolishment of the willing-buyer, willing-seller policy.
“Historical land dispossession has caused generational poverty and destitution, the effects of which are lived by young generations today,” Uhuru Dempers told the conference.
“If this dispossession is not addressed, we may find a much more difficult situation in the future. We are glad that our president committed that this situation is unsustainable and must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
Dempers said the acquisition of land for reform purposes has been slow and costly.
Recent statistics by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) indicate that more than 70% of productive agricultural land is still owned by a “small white minority”, at the expense of the vast “majority of black Namibians”, who were dispossessed by the German and South African regimes, including those affected by genocide.
“The slow pace of land acquisition subjects the majority of black Namibians to social and economic injustice every day.”
Dempers said the resolutions taken at the land conference should include land reform becoming a central policy priority in national development plans (NDPs) and the abolishment of the willing-buyer, willing-seller policy.
Nangof's position paper said government has spent less than N$2 billion on land acquisition over the past 27 years - a comparatively minimal amount considering spending in other sectors.
It says most of the land offered to government was not purchased.
“The willing-buyer, willing-seller policy is unsustainable, as government continues to purchase land at inflated land market prices.
“Offers to buy are also sporadic and only in selected regions, mostly with poor agricultural land. This makes integrated planning impossible and complicates post-settlement support.”
It also called for the implementation of the 1991 land conference resolutions on foreign land ownership and expropriation.
Dempers said compensation must be defined in the interest of the landless and with colonial injustice in mind, and must not necessarily be based on market value.
According to him expropriation without compensation refers to the land itself, while compensation should be considered for the infrastructure.
The draft revised national resettlement policy 2018-2027 must be reviewed via broad-based public engagement, in order to eliminate gender and elite bias he added.
“The resettlement list released by the lands ministry does not reconcile with the total number of farms purchased by government. We need a full account.”
He further said a master plan for communal land must be developed as part of NDPs.
A detailed assessment must also be undertaken on underutilised communal land, including virgin land and those captured by bush encroachment, he added.
Urban land
With regard to urban land, Dempers said the magnitude of the urbanisation challenge must be acknowledged as a priority in the resolutions.
In 2018, Namibia reached a 50% urbanisation rate, which had only been 28% in 1990, and by 2050 this rate is expected to increase to 72%.
Dempers stressed the conference resolutions should include that urban land reform must be established as an integral part of land reform, through a transparent process of public engagement with civil society.
He said there must be a commitment to the transformation of Namibia's urban policies, legal frameworks, strategies and actions at national, regional and local level, to enable inclusive, sustainable and prosperous towns and cities.
With regard to ancestral land, Dempers said a commission on ancestral land claims and an independent ancestral land claims tribunal should be established.
He said the question of ancestral land would not have come to such a volatile point if the compromise position reached at the 1991 national land conference had been implemented fully.
“The second land conference should be seen as the start of an inclusive and robust land education and reform process, with clearly stated deliverables and a set timeframe. We reiterate our call that in the meantime the president issues a moratorium on the land resettlement programme and all major land transactions and programmes.”
ELLANIE SMIT
“Historical land dispossession has caused generational poverty and destitution, the effects of which are lived by young generations today,” Uhuru Dempers told the conference.
“If this dispossession is not addressed, we may find a much more difficult situation in the future. We are glad that our president committed that this situation is unsustainable and must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
Dempers said the acquisition of land for reform purposes has been slow and costly.
Recent statistics by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) indicate that more than 70% of productive agricultural land is still owned by a “small white minority”, at the expense of the vast “majority of black Namibians”, who were dispossessed by the German and South African regimes, including those affected by genocide.
“The slow pace of land acquisition subjects the majority of black Namibians to social and economic injustice every day.”
Dempers said the resolutions taken at the land conference should include land reform becoming a central policy priority in national development plans (NDPs) and the abolishment of the willing-buyer, willing-seller policy.
Nangof's position paper said government has spent less than N$2 billion on land acquisition over the past 27 years - a comparatively minimal amount considering spending in other sectors.
It says most of the land offered to government was not purchased.
“The willing-buyer, willing-seller policy is unsustainable, as government continues to purchase land at inflated land market prices.
“Offers to buy are also sporadic and only in selected regions, mostly with poor agricultural land. This makes integrated planning impossible and complicates post-settlement support.”
It also called for the implementation of the 1991 land conference resolutions on foreign land ownership and expropriation.
Dempers said compensation must be defined in the interest of the landless and with colonial injustice in mind, and must not necessarily be based on market value.
According to him expropriation without compensation refers to the land itself, while compensation should be considered for the infrastructure.
The draft revised national resettlement policy 2018-2027 must be reviewed via broad-based public engagement, in order to eliminate gender and elite bias he added.
“The resettlement list released by the lands ministry does not reconcile with the total number of farms purchased by government. We need a full account.”
He further said a master plan for communal land must be developed as part of NDPs.
A detailed assessment must also be undertaken on underutilised communal land, including virgin land and those captured by bush encroachment, he added.
Urban land
With regard to urban land, Dempers said the magnitude of the urbanisation challenge must be acknowledged as a priority in the resolutions.
In 2018, Namibia reached a 50% urbanisation rate, which had only been 28% in 1990, and by 2050 this rate is expected to increase to 72%.
Dempers stressed the conference resolutions should include that urban land reform must be established as an integral part of land reform, through a transparent process of public engagement with civil society.
He said there must be a commitment to the transformation of Namibia's urban policies, legal frameworks, strategies and actions at national, regional and local level, to enable inclusive, sustainable and prosperous towns and cities.
With regard to ancestral land, Dempers said a commission on ancestral land claims and an independent ancestral land claims tribunal should be established.
He said the question of ancestral land would not have come to such a volatile point if the compromise position reached at the 1991 national land conference had been implemented fully.
“The second land conference should be seen as the start of an inclusive and robust land education and reform process, with clearly stated deliverables and a set timeframe. We reiterate our call that in the meantime the president issues a moratorium on the land resettlement programme and all major land transactions and programmes.”
ELLANIE SMIT
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