SOME citizens want the government to change laws to limit how much land an individual can own, a report discussed this week states.
The report, a draft summary of recommendations from the regional land consultations held in July this year, was compiled in preparation of the second national land conference taking place in early October.
The document was discussed this week at a meeting of regional representatives, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and other ministers, including land reform minister Utoni Nujoma and finance minister Calle Schlettwein.
“Regions recommended that a provision should be inserted into existing legislation providing for individuals to own not more than a certain maximum hectares of land,” the report states.
Some regions suggested that the total size of land a person can own should be determined by land fertility, carrying capacity, and environmental conditions.
“Some regions also proposed that excess farmland above the maximum allowable size be considered for expropriation for the land reform programme,” the report reads.
The document said other regions proposed that the government develops a database of the total size of land owned by foreign and absentee landlords.
The majority of the regions recommended that foreigners should not be allowed to own land, but only lease it.
It was further suggested that the government establishes a committee with clear guidelines to monitor the implementation of the resolution to ban the sale of land to foreigners.
The report said several regions identified the need to engage absentee landlords (foreigners and Namibians) for a dialogue on land reform.
“Any owner (Namibian or foreigner) not residing and/or utilising the land productively [should] be compelled to sell their land to the state,” the document stated, adding that the people also suggested that “absentee landlords be taxed heavily” to compel them to sell the land to the government.
The government started the land reform programme in 1990, opting for the willing buyer-willing seller system to buy land at market-related prices from white farmers who owned the land before independence.
Some people criticised that system during the regional consultations.
“Regions called for the abolishment of the willing buyer-willing seller policy as they claim this is not working,” the report added.
It also dedicated around seven sentences to suggestions from the regions about how women and the youth should be assisted to own land.
“Existing laws should be changed to protect single mothers and cohabiting partners to shield them against the loss of land in case of the death of their male partners, or divorce,” the report read.
The suggestions furthermore included calls for allocating land in national parks to marginalised communities, such as the San.
“There were either discussion that the San people and other marginalised Namibians be resettled in [national] game parks to co-exist with wildlife and other natural resources as their customs and traditions entail,” the document said.
There was also a call to reduce the size of the Etosha National Park to accommodate people.
Some regions said generational farm workers should be given preferential rights to be resettled on the farms they worked on once the government buys such farms.
“Others felt that the government and new farm owners should have the freedom to hire who they want,” the document said.
Traditional leaders also claimed that they were being disrespected by influential people in the allocation of communal land.
“They recommended that the current legislation of communal land administration should empower traditional authorities in the implementation of the law,” the report continued.
Another topic which attracted public attention was the illegal fencing off of the land. The report said regions expressed concern that some wealthy and well-connected individuals fenced off large tracts of communal areas for exclusive use, and used the courts when confronted about this.
The debate on land delivery has over the years focused on communal and agricultural land, while urban land delivery continues to be a headache for Namibia.
The report dedicates a page to recommendations from the public about the urban land reform programme.
There are also suggestions to revisit several housing laws, such as the Namibia Housing Enterprise Act and rent legislation.
“It was also recommended that the Bank of Namibia regulates prime interest rates for housing finance, and review their home loan policy to improve affordability,” the report adds.
Other key issues highlighted in the report are that the public said the government should use potential reparations from Germany for the 1904-08 genocide to buy resettlement farms.
