Govt ready to take next step on land reform

SOME white farmers who have been approached by Government to sell their land to the State for resettlement purposes have refused to do so, says Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba.

But, he said, Government was in the process of expropriating those farms whose owners had refused to co-operate. “Government is moving into the next step – that of informing them that the Government will move by expropriating [their farms].Some have already been informed that their places [land] are now going to be expropriated,” Pohamba said in interview with The Namibian this week.The Minister, who is Swapo’s candidate for the November presidential elections, said Government was “on the right course” with its land reform programme and that his Ministry was doing its work “quietly”.Talk of expropriation was at a high before the Swapo extraordinary congress in May but since then has largely subsided.Pohamba dismissed claims by some opposition parties and trade unions that expropriation was used as a campaign tool.”You don’t hear things now.We don’t always go into the streets and announce what we are doing.We are doing things quietly.If there is a need to inform the public, we do it at an appropriate time,” said Pohamba in a wide-ranging interview to be published tomorrow.The Ministry of Lands sent letters to more than 20 farmers informing them that Government wanted to buy their farms.Government says that around 3 800 white farmers own most of the arable land, an imbalance it has vowed to redress.Pohamba argues that most white-owned farms in Namibia are not productive and that even if the farms are productive they can be expropriated “to be more productive”.The Namibia Agricultural Union earlier described the proposed expropriation as retaliatory.It said Government was not following the procedures it had initially announced — such as first targeting foreign-owned land, absentee lands, unproductive land and excessive land.Rather, the union charged, it appeared to be reacting to evictions and unrest at several farms.When the Swapo Party campaigned for the 1999 elections, it boasted that the land reform programme was ahead of schedule.At the time, Swapo officials told rallies that more than double the number of people targeted had been resettled.When reminded of such statements on Tuesday, Pohamba bluntly said Government “wants to have more land”.”We want to say we have even exceeded expectations,” he said.”Government is moving into the next step – that of informing them that the Government will move by expropriating [their farms].Some have already been informed that their places [land] are now going to be expropriated,” Pohamba said in interview with The Namibian this week.The Minister, who is Swapo’s candidate for the November presidential elections, said Government was “on the right course” with its land reform programme and that his Ministry was doing its work “quietly”.Talk of expropriation was at a high before the Swapo extraordinary congress in May but since then has largely subsided.Pohamba dismissed claims by some opposition parties and trade unions that expropriation was used as a campaign tool.”You don’t hear things now.We don’t always go into the streets and announce what we are doing.We are doing things quietly.If there is a need to inform the public, we do it at an appropriate time,” said Pohamba in a wide-ranging interview to be published tomorrow.The Ministry of Lands sent letters to more than 20 farmers informing them that Government wanted to buy their farms.Government says that around 3 800 white farmers own most of the arable land, an imbalance it has vowed to redress. Pohamba argues that most white-owned farms in Namibia are not productive and that even if the farms are productive they can be expropriated “to be more productive”.The Namibia Agricultural Union earlier described the proposed expropriation as retaliatory.It said Government was not following the procedures it had initially announced — such as first targeting foreign-owned land, absentee lands, unproductive land and excessive land.Rather, the union charged, it appeared to be reacting to evictions and unrest at several farms.When the Swapo Party campaigned for the 1999 elections, it boasted that the land reform programme was ahead of schedule.At the time, Swapo officials told rallies that more than double the number of people targeted had been resettled.When reminded of such statements on Tuesday, Pohamba bluntly said Government “wants to have more land”. “We want to say we have even exceeded expectations,” he said.