‘Hogwash’ From Lands PS

An Open Letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement, Frans Tsheehama If I am interpreting the report in The Namibian about your opening speech at the symposium on land reform correctly, your reasoning as to why land reform is too slow is nothing but plain and simple hogwash.

In my non-expert opinion, land reform is failing because (using Ongombo West as an example): * You are spending money you do not have: Your budget for acquiring 9.5 million hectares is N$900 million, or N$95 per hectare. This in itself is questionable, but if you now pay N$925 per hectare for Ongombo West, you will find yourself running out of funds sooner than you think.* You are not effective in lobbying for funds: With the N$650 million spent on the new State House you could have financed more than 70% of the entire resettlement programme.In ONE go.* You are trying to make horticulturists out of livestock farmers: The interest on a loan of N$3.7 million is much more than can be recouped by livestock farming on 4000 hectares.So you have no choice but to continue producing flowers for the export market.We have proven that we cannot farm with grapes.What all of the sudden makes you think that we are going to be successful with flowers? * You do not understand the results of your actions: What is the message you have conveyed with Ongombo West? “If you, as a prospective seller of land, want to treble the price of your commodity overnight, see to it that you create some labour unrest, invite a few labour unions to worsen the situation, then sell”.* You are using land reform as a whip for alleged unfair labour practices: We have a Ministry of Labour: They deal with labour issues.And we have a Ministry of Land Reform and Resettlement: They should deal with just that.* You are looking for high-rainfall areas in a semi-desert: Enough said? * Your employees are not working: A spot check at your Windhoek offices revealed that, during working hours, and for 50 offices: 30 offices were unoccupied, the occupants of 8 offices were seen lounging about, while 12 others where seemingly involved in office business.If only 24% of your workforce is actually working, how do you expect to assess land offers on time? * You are “calling upon key stakeholders to set up permanent platforms for dialogue meant to steer a transparent and democratic national land reform programme”, while your track record clearly shows that you are incapable of anything remotely approaching transparency.If transparency is all-important, why do you not make the first step? All in all, your Ministry is employed by the population of this country to solve our land issues.Start by accepting this responsibility and stop blaming others for your failures.Owners of multiple farms are not paid “to come up with workable and tangible efforts that would make land available at affordable prices at the right time”.You are.Arthur Goetz-WindhoekThis in itself is questionable, but if you now pay N$925 per hectare for Ongombo West, you will find yourself running out of funds sooner than you think.* You are not effective in lobbying for funds: With the N$650 million spent on the new State House you could have financed more than 70% of the entire resettlement programme.In ONE go.* You are trying to make horticulturists out of livestock farmers: The interest on a loan of N$3.7 million is much more than can be recouped by livestock farming on 4000 hectares.So you have no choice but to continue producing flowers for the export market.We have proven that we cannot farm with grapes.What all of the sudden makes you think that we are going to be successful with flowers? * You do not understand the results of your actions: What is the message you have conveyed with Ongombo West? “If you, as a prospective seller of land, want to treble the price of your commodity overnight, see to it that you create some labour unrest, invite a few labour unions to worsen the situation, then sell”.* You are using land reform as a whip for alleged unfair labour practices: We have a Ministry of Labour: They deal with labour issues.And we have a Ministry of Land Reform and Resettlement: They should deal with just that.* You are looking for high-rainfall areas in a semi-desert: Enough said? * Your employees are not working: A spot check at your Windhoek offices revealed that, during working hours, and for 50 offices: 30 offices were unoccupied, the occupants of 8 offices were seen lounging about, while 12 others where seemingly involved in office business.If only 24% of your workforce is actually working, how do you expect to assess land offers on time? * You are “calling upon key stakeholders to set up permanent platforms for dialogue meant to steer a transparent and democratic national land reform programme”, while your track record clearly shows that you are incapable of anything remotely approaching transparency.If transparency is all-important, why do you not make the first step? All in all, your Ministry is employed by the population of this country to solve our land issues.Start by accepting this responsibility and stop blaming others for your failures.Owners of multiple farms are not paid “to come up with workable and tangible efforts that would make land available at affordable prices at the right time”.You are.Arthur Goetz-Windhoek