State urged to take land by force
If those currently in possession of farms are not willing to sell them to government at a reasonable price, the constitution should be amended to expropriate land without compensation.
This was the overwhelming view of Oshakati residents at a consultative meeting in anticipation of the country's second land conference, slated for October.
Oshana regional land consultations are also due to take place before the national conference.
Oshakati residents also agreed that the state should be in control of all land in the country, in order for it to be redistributed equally to all Namibians.
The meeting attendees overwhelmingly agreed that the acquisition of land, especially huge tracks of agricultural land owned by private individuals and foreigners, through the willing buyer, willing seller policy, has failed, and that the time has come for the land issue to be tackled without fear or favour.
“If we Namibians want the land to be distributed fairly and benefit all citizens, government should be in control of the land. The pace at which government is expropriating land and resettling people is currently very slow,” Indileni Ipinge said.
Also strongly supporting the notion that government should be in control of the land was Oshakati councillor Katrina Shimbulu, who said land should be expropriated by any means possible.
“The issue is not that government is not able to buy the farms from the owners, but it is because their prices set for the farms is too much. However, we now have the opportunity to make contributions for the land to be expropriated. I support the idea that all land should be owned and controlled by the state,” Shimbulu said.
Unionist Victor Hamunyela explained that the state is limited by chapter three of the Namibian constitution and that the only way government can expropriate land without compensation is if the constitution is amended.
“First of all, we Namibians should admit that the policy of willing buyer, willing seller has failed. We Namibians are living in denial… If government is to expropriate the farms without compensation, the constitution should be amended first or else we will see no change,” Hamunyela said.
Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) official Abraham Ndumbu also supported the notion of expropriating land without compensation, saying the willing buyer, willing seller policy has not yielded the expected results.
Ndumbu said the nationalisation of land is the only answer.
“It was in our 2014 election manifesto, where we talked of the land to be controlled by the state and a solution to the unequal distribution of land,” Ndumbu said.
In 2016, the lands ministry confirmed that a total of 1.2 million hectares of agricultural land is still under foreign ownership, with the majority of this land in German and South African hands.
This is despite a decision that was taken at the landmark 1991 national land conference that non-Namibians must not own farmland.
KENYA KAMBOWE
This was the overwhelming view of Oshakati residents at a consultative meeting in anticipation of the country's second land conference, slated for October.
Oshana regional land consultations are also due to take place before the national conference.
Oshakati residents also agreed that the state should be in control of all land in the country, in order for it to be redistributed equally to all Namibians.
The meeting attendees overwhelmingly agreed that the acquisition of land, especially huge tracks of agricultural land owned by private individuals and foreigners, through the willing buyer, willing seller policy, has failed, and that the time has come for the land issue to be tackled without fear or favour.
“If we Namibians want the land to be distributed fairly and benefit all citizens, government should be in control of the land. The pace at which government is expropriating land and resettling people is currently very slow,” Indileni Ipinge said.
Also strongly supporting the notion that government should be in control of the land was Oshakati councillor Katrina Shimbulu, who said land should be expropriated by any means possible.
“The issue is not that government is not able to buy the farms from the owners, but it is because their prices set for the farms is too much. However, we now have the opportunity to make contributions for the land to be expropriated. I support the idea that all land should be owned and controlled by the state,” Shimbulu said.
Unionist Victor Hamunyela explained that the state is limited by chapter three of the Namibian constitution and that the only way government can expropriate land without compensation is if the constitution is amended.
“First of all, we Namibians should admit that the policy of willing buyer, willing seller has failed. We Namibians are living in denial… If government is to expropriate the farms without compensation, the constitution should be amended first or else we will see no change,” Hamunyela said.
Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) official Abraham Ndumbu also supported the notion of expropriating land without compensation, saying the willing buyer, willing seller policy has not yielded the expected results.
Ndumbu said the nationalisation of land is the only answer.
“It was in our 2014 election manifesto, where we talked of the land to be controlled by the state and a solution to the unequal distribution of land,” Ndumbu said.
In 2016, the lands ministry confirmed that a total of 1.2 million hectares of agricultural land is still under foreign ownership, with the majority of this land in German and South African hands.
This is despite a decision that was taken at the landmark 1991 national land conference that non-Namibians must not own farmland.
KENYA KAMBOWE
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