It’s an election ploy, charge opposition parties

GOVERNMENT’S prime-time announcement last night that it would fast-track land reform by implementing expropriation was aimed at electioneering, Namibia’s two main opposition parties said.

While questioning Government’s timing, both the DTA and Congress of Democrats (CoD) welcomed Government’s assurance it would be done according to law. Warning that plans to accelerate land reform should not follow the chaotic land-grab pattern of Zimbabwe, the two parties said they supported the move in principle.”It’s unfortunate that this thing is brought up in an election year.It’s just electioneering.The way that Swapo has dealt with land reform has been deliberately slow and calculated,” said Ignatius Shixwameni, CoD Secretary General.DTA President Katuutire Kaura said: “One can see red lights flickering.It reminds me of the activities of Mugabe, and this looks like the fourth term is on the cards”.Speaking on national television, Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab said Government planned to expropriate land in the public interest.Shixwameni said: “Our main concern has always been the absence of the definition of public interest.If it is to benefit the political elite, then we have a problem.We hope that it shall be for the benefit of the poor and not the fat cats who have been crying in Parliament”.Shixwameni said priority should be given to descendants of the San and the Herero who had been dispossessed years ago, as well as farmworkers evicted from farms.Kaura said farms owned by foreigners should be the first to be expropriated, followed by “undeveloped land”.”As long as it is done within the confines of the Constitution, I don’t have a problem with it,” said Kaura.The CoD leader added: “We hope that the approach that the Government is adopting is not the approach that Robert Mugabe has followed in Zimbabwe because we have seen what it has done there”.Shixwameni said land reform in Zimbabwe had benefited the ruling party’s elite, and that it had turned into State-sponsored land grabbing that eventually led to the collapse of the economy.Lawyer Norman Tjombe of the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), who deals with land-related rights issues, said Government’s announcement was a “drastic measure” that underlined the slow pace of land reform.”However, some blame for the failure of the land reform process should be placed on the Government.Thousands of people, who do qualify to benefit from the resettlement farms, are still waiting to be resettled whilst the business and political elite continue to receive resettlement farms from Government and financial assistance from the Agribank – at the expense of the eligible landless and taxpayers”.Tjombe also pointed out that Government had failed to exhaust all measures to acquire land, such as using the Land Tribunal to determine prices.He said in terms of the law, if Government wanted to buy a farm at a set price and the owner wanted a higher amount, the owner should apply to the Land Tribunal for the price determination within 90 days.But if the owner failed to approach the tribunal within 90 days, Government could buy the farm at the price it had offered to the owner.Warning that plans to accelerate land reform should not follow the chaotic land-grab pattern of Zimbabwe, the two parties said they supported the move in principle. “It’s unfortunate that this thing is brought up in an election year. It’s just electioneering. The way that Swapo has dealt with land reform has been deliberately slow and calculated,” said Ignatius Shixwameni, CoD Secretary General. DTA President Katuutire Kaura said: “One can see red lights flickering. It reminds me of the activities of Mugabe, and this looks like the fourth term is on the cards”. Speaking on national television, Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab said Government planned to expropriate land in the public interest. Shixwameni said: “Our main concern has always been the absence of the definition of public interest. If it is to benefit the political elite, then we have a problem. We hope that it shall be for the benefit of the poor and not the fat cats who have been crying in Parliament”. Shixwameni said priority should be given to descendants of the San and the Herero who had been dispossessed years ago, as well as farmworkers evicted from farms. Kaura said farms owned by foreigners should be the first to be expropriated, followed by “undeveloped land”. “As long as it is done within the confines of the Constitution, I don’t have a problem with it,” said Kaura. The CoD leader added: “We hope that the approach that the Government is adopting is not the approach that Robert Mugabe has followed in Zimbabwe because we have seen what it has done there”. Shixwameni said land reform in Zimbabwe had benefited the ruling party’s elite, and that it had turned into State-sponsored land grabbing that eventually led to the collapse of the economy. Lawyer Norman Tjombe of the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), who deals with land-related rights issues, said Government’s announcement was a “drastic measure” that underlined the slow pace of land reform. “However, some blame for the failure of the land reform process should be placed on the Government. Thousands of people, who do qualify to benefit from the resettlement farms, are still waiting to be resettled whilst the business and political elite continue to receive resettlement farms from Government and financial assistance from the Agribank – at the expense of the eligible landless and taxpayers”. Tjombe also pointed out that Government had failed to exhaust all measures to acquire land, such as using the Land Tribunal to determine prices. He said in terms of the law, if Government wanted to buy a farm at a set price and the owner wanted a higher amount, the owner should apply to the Land Tribunal for the price determination within 90 days. But if the owner failed to approach the tribunal within 90 days, Government could buy the farm at the price it had offered to the owner.