Agriculture minister Inge Zaamwani has ordered an audit of all farms acquired by the government over the past five years to establish how many have been allocated and whether they are being used productively.
The audit will also determine how many people have been resettled on the farms, how many remain unallocated and which properties need rehabilitation before beneficiaries can occupy them.
Zaamwani issued the directive on Thursday in a speech read on her behalf by deputy minister of agriculture Ruthy Masake, while welcoming four new members of the Land Reform Advisory Commission.
“Among your first priorities, I direct that you do an audit of farms acquired during the last five years, how many people have been resettled, what the productivity of those farms and how many farms acquired during this period have not been allocated,” she said.
Zaamwani said the commission must assess the condition of unallocated farms and determine what the government needs to do to make them suitable for occupation.
She said the government must measure the success of land reform by how it improves people’s lives, rather than focusing only on the amount of land acquired and the number of people resettled.
Zaamwani said the government must also consider whether resettlement farms are creating jobs, increasing agricultural production, improving household incomes and contributing to food security.
She directed the commission to review the current resettlement system and recommend changes that could allow more landless Namibians to benefit.
“Land remains one of the poignant topics in our country, and many landless Namibians yearn for a place they can call home,” she said.
Zaamwani said the demand for land exceeds what is available, making it necessary to examine whether the current system can accommodate more people.
She also called for closer monitoring of resettlement farms to identify those performing well and those where beneficiaries are struggling.
The minister said this would help the government understand the challenges farmers face and determine what support they need.
“Listen directly to beneficiaries, examine conditions on resettlement farms and understand the constraints affecting production,” she said.
Zaamwani also urged the commission to consider resolutions adopted at the Second National Land Conference when advising the government on land allocation.
These include prioritising descendants of people who lost their land through dispossession and taking into account the conference’s 70/30 land allocation resolution.
She said members of parliament had also called for greater transparency and fairness in land allocation, as well as the digitalisation of land acquisition and allocation processes, which are largely handled manually.
Meanwhile, four new commissioners approved by parliament have joined the Land Reform Advisory Commission.
They are Cardini Roman, Jeaneth Kuhanga, Mona-Lisa McKay and Ermelinda Tjimune.
Their appointments run until 30 April 2029.
The four join existing commissioners, including acting chairperson Petrus Nangolo, Charles Uugwanga, Frans Kamati, Paulus Hausiku, Petrina Mpahleni, Alexandria Angala, Thomas Uuyuni, Adolf Muremi, Kay-Dieter Rumpf, Manfred Rukoro and Nguvitjita Kapere.
Zaamwani said the appointment of the four members means the commission is now fully constituted.
The commission advises the agriculture minister on land reform matters, including land acquisition, allocation and resettlement.
Zaamwani said she expects to meet the commissioners every three months to discuss progress, challenges and possible changes to land reform policies.
