'One Namibian, one farm', expropriation among resolutions

Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has assured delegates at the country's just-ended second land conference that resolutions taken at the gathering will be considered for implementation within the country's existing legal framework.Resolutions were made within five thematic areas and will now be considered by government for implementation. Willing-buyer, willing-seller scrappedThe willing-seller, willing-buyer policy will be scrapped and replaced with alternative methods of securing farmland. Furthermore, a national, uniform valuation model will be developed to harmonise prices and ensure realistic costs of land. Only one farm is permitted for each Namibian citizen and the size of land owned by a single individual must be regulated. Agricultural land owned by foreigners, or that which is not utilised, must be expropriated. Independent legislation allowing for the expropriation of land must be developed and implemented. Support packages for resettled farmers in both communal and commercial areas must be developed to allow for improved productivity. These, however, must be based on a full business plan. Rights in terms of ownership and tenure on resettlement farms must be revised, so as ensure access to funding to allow for improved productivity and job creation. Policies must be developed to protect generational farmworkers to allow for alternate housing. In terms of the Affirmative Action Loan Scheme, delegates resolved that the land tax system must be reviewed and loan facilities revised according to the production capacity of the land.Finally, a special programme will be developed to identify strong communal farmers, in a bid to drive them to commercial production. Communal farmlandDelegates agreed to the gradual removal of the so-called red line, taking into account various impacting factors. Abattoirs in the communal areas must be upgraded to Class A facilities to allow for the export of meat products. Furthermore, regulations pertaining to land reform in communal areas must be revised to address challenges relating to limitations in land size, overlapping of areas, as well as the current tedious application process.Section 4 of this Act must also be revised as it only allows one member of the relevant traditional authority to decide on land, while often these authorities have jurisdiction of several constituencies. It must also be adjusted to allow for the inclusion of war veterans.Traditional authorities must be compensated for land that is included in town council developments, but compensation for individuals in this regard must also remain in place. Fines for illegal fencing must be increased and the police must assist traditional authorities in the removal of these fences. A database must be developed for those who already have land to prevent individuals claiming several pieces of land. Regulations pertaining to grazing rights must also be adjusted to prevent the doubling-up of rights in communal and commercial areas. Fines in this regard must also be instituted. Communal areas must be created in the Khomas and //Karas regions for those who are landless. The delegates also agreed that government must compensate for crop and livestock losses caused by wildlife. The conference delegates resolved that a policy and programme for urban land reform needs to be developed within a year. Moreover, the timeframe for the availability of erven needs to be reduced to six months. All profit made on erven needs to be taxed, save for the primary residence. Higher transfer fees for second and third properties need to be created with lower transfer costs for the first property purchased. Building regulations need to be adjusted to allow for a piecemeal construction style, as land owners have funds, and regulations pertaining to the standard of building materials must be adjusted, possibly only in certain zones, to allow construction by low-income households. Banks should also be able to finance this. Local authorities are either to construct 300 000 homes within the next seven years, or in the alternative, offer the opportunity for the construction of these homes due to the national shortage. Delegates agreed that partially serviced erven should be sold, so that services can be added at a later stage. They also asked for the regulation of rental prices. Finally, government must, instead of the current 0.1% of GDP investment into townland, increase it to 10% of the GDP. A presidential commission of enquiry must be created for ancestral land. The commission will be tasked with drawing up a definition of ancestral land, indentifying communities that lost their land and how much was lost. Methods must be identified to allow for alternative compensation for lost land, as well as advance social equality and economic empowerment for the affected communities. Legislation to allow for ancestral land claims must be formulated and mechanisms must be developed to allow for the prioritisation of the most affected communities. Colonial names must be removed in favour of the original traditional names and the proper burial of victims of the genocide and liberation struggle must be prioritised, including monuments and statues. Elvira Hattingh

'One Namibian, one farm', expropriation among resolutions

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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'One Namibian, one farm', expropriation among resolutions

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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