The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has clarified its earlier position regarding the advertisement and auction of farm Neu Progress in the Khomas region.
The clarification comes after the ministry conducted further internal verification and consultations, which confirmed that the farm falls within the expanded boundaries of the Windhoek local authority area, the ministry’s spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said in a statement on Friday.
Muyunda explained that the boundary extension was effected through a proclamation published by the then Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development in the Government Gazette in September 2011.
As a result, the ministry said, the provisions of the Agricultural (Commercial) Land Reform Act of 1995 do not apply to the property.
This means the government’s right of first refusal, waiver requirements and ministerial consent relating to foreign ownership of agricultural land are not applicable in this case.
“The ministry acknowledges that the earlier concerns raised regarding the applicability of the Agricultural (Commercial) Land Reform Act were based on information available at the time,” said Muyunda.
He added that the matter has since been clarified following a comprehensive review of the legal and administrative status of the property.
Despite the clarification, he stressed the importance of ensuring that all land transactions in Namibia comply fully with the country’s legal and regulatory frameworks governing land ownership, land use and property transactions.
The property was auctioned in South Africa for a price of N$80 million on Thursday.
