THE Namibia Agricultural Union has cautioned Government that only orderly transformation will lead to successful land reform.Reacting to reports surrounding the recent visit of Lands Deputy Minister Isak Katali to Zimbabwe and remarks he made about following that country’s example to economically empower indigenous people, NAU President Raimar von Hase said those statements caused “great concern”.
Katali was quoted in Zimbabwe’s state-owned Herald newspaper as saying that he visited Zimbabwe to see how that country “tackled their successful land reform programme”. “We feel the speed they took the land is commendable and we would like to see how they did it.Land reform is important to Namibia and we feel that the same colonisers are the same people who colonised Zimbabwe.We also feel that if the people of Zimbabwe did this, we can do it in the same manner.Since Independence, a number of people have been in need of land,” Katali was quoted as saying.Von Hase said Cabinet approved a blueprint on land reform last month which clearly stated that the willing-seller, willing-buyer concept was an integrated part of the programme and that prices would be negotiated.The blueprint also states that expropriation would target specific areas of land for clear purposes.The NAU feels Katali’s comments were “in conflict with the spirit of the Cabinet resolution” as well as in direct contradiction of President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s repeated statements that land reform will be done properly.Meanwhile, the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has vehemently condemned any plans to implement a Zimbabwe-style ‘fast-track’ land reform process in Namibia.”Our abhorrence of the inherently violent Mugabe-style ‘land reform’ process primarily lies in the fact that [this] process was completely tainted with flagrant and systematic human rights abuses and has led to even more dire human rights, humanitarian, economic and political consequences with both national and regional implications,” said NSHR executive director Phil ya Nangoloh.He said it was hard to believe that President Pohamba, who has earned himself an excellent reputation at home and internationally, would all of a sudden follow in the “bloody footsteps” of President Robert Mugabe, “who has earned himself a bad name as one of the most notorious tyrants and human rights violators on our continent”.”As a human rights organisation, we are not against land reform per se.However, we are naturally totally against all and any human rights violations for whatever reasons,” ya Nangoloh said.”We feel the speed they took the land is commendable and we would like to see how they did it.Land reform is important to Namibia and we feel that the same colonisers are the same people who colonised Zimbabwe.We also feel that if the people of Zimbabwe did this, we can do it in the same manner.Since Independence, a number of people have been in need of land,” Katali was quoted as saying.Von Hase said Cabinet approved a blueprint on land reform last month which clearly stated that the willing-seller, willing-buyer concept was an integrated part of the programme and that prices would be negotiated.The blueprint also states that expropriation would target specific areas of land for clear purposes.The NAU feels Katali’s comments were “in conflict with the spirit of the Cabinet resolution” as well as in direct contradiction of President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s repeated statements that land reform will be done properly.Meanwhile, the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has vehemently condemned any plans to implement a Zimbabwe-style ‘fast-track’ land reform process in Namibia.”Our abhorrence of the inherently violent Mugabe-style ‘land reform’ process primarily lies in the fact that [this] process was completely tainted with flagrant and systematic human rights abuses and has led to even more dire human rights, humanitarian, economic and political consequences with both national and regional implications,” said NSHR executive director Phil ya Nangoloh.He said it was hard to believe that President Pohamba, who has earned himself an excellent reputation at home and internationally, would all of a sudden follow in the “bloody footsteps” of President Robert Mugabe, “who has earned himself a bad name as one of the most notorious tyrants and human rights violators on our continent”.”As a human rights organisation, we are not against land reform per se.However, we are naturally totally against all and any human rights violations for whatever reasons,” ya Nangoloh said.
