No law barring Erindi sale

ELLANIE SMIT The presidency has reiterated there is no law currently in place that can stop the sale of the 71 000-hectare Erindi Private Game Reserve to Mexican billionaire Alberto Baillères.It said a recommendation made during the second national land conference last year not to sell land in Namibia to foreigners, remains a recommendation until the state enacts laws to that effect.This is according to a statement issued by the presidential press secretary Alfredo Hengari after the outrage sparked by a meeting between President Hage Geingob and Baillères. Baillères is in the process of purchasing the sought-after game reserve.Institutions such as the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW), the Namibia Ancestral Land Foundation (NALAFO) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCRN) all called for the deal to sell Erindi to a foreigner to be cancelled. Geingob was set to meet with several workers’ unions on Tuesday to discuss the sale of Erindi and the economy, among other national issues.According to Hengari the Namibia Public Workers Union (NAPWU), National Teachers Union (NANTU) and the Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (NATAU) would have met with Geingob Tuesday. However, the meeting did not proceed as envisaged due to the unavailability of line ministers who had commitments prior to the request from the unions. According to Hengari the Presidency has written to these unions with a view to reschedule.He further emphasised the competency of institutions of the state regarding the sale of Erindi and the availability of Geingob to hold dialogue with stakeholders to clarify government policy. “The president, in performing his tasks, must assure investors that Namibia is safe and the rule of law, respected. As a matter of fact, and consistent with the directive, Baillères, who is a status investor, has engaged the relevant line ministries and government agencies.”Hengari said the sale, in line with regulatory processes, systems and institutions, is currently awaiting approval by the Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC) and that process should be allowed to run its course.“President Geingob does not negotiate with business leaders. In line with accepted international practice, they pay courtesy calls like other stakeholders the president sees on a daily basis.”Hengari said that this is part of Geingob’s participatory approach to governance that stakeholders must be consulted, heard and challenges must be identified, solutions found, with line ministries and agencies of government as the basic anchors in the governance architecture.He said the principle of not negotiating business at State House stands and remains an unshakeable position for as long as Geingob remains in office.According to him the recommendation calling for foreigners not to buy land in Namibia will remain a recommendation until it is enacted into law. He said that this is why Geingob restated to the media in his briefing that Namibia at the moment did not have any law prohibiting foreign nationals from buying land. “In fact, the President reminded the media that the current owners of Erindi are not Namibians, but are the Joubert brothers, who are South Africans.”

No law barring Erindi sale

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-30

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No law barring Erindi sale

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-30

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