Nudo fears ‘elitist’ land distribution

THE National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) fears that Government plans to expropriate land will only benefit the ruling Swapo Party’s political elite, instead of the landless “masses”.

Nudo Secretary General Joseph Kauandenge says while his party agreed that land reform had been slow and that the ‘willing-seller, willing-buyer’ policy was not working, it remained sceptical about the real beneficiaries of the land to be expropriated. He claimed that results of Government resettlement programmes over the past 14 years indicated that top Government officials and their close associates were the main beneficiaries.”Indeed, if there is any expropriation, it will only benefit those who are already well-off, not those who really need land,” he warned.”It is outrageous for the Namibian Government to announce the expropriation of land while hiding behind the concept of the needs of the masses… Namibians are [being] taken for a ride with this announced redistribution of land.”Kauandenge said that the land expropriation announcement was made without careful consideration “as nobody seems to know what criteria will be used to identify those farms.”The Nudo secretary general was of the opinion that commercial farms should not be targeted simply because their owners were whites.”Although we represent 90 per cent of those who lost land in the past, we cannot blindly welcome a policy that does not satisfy our curiosity as far as its implementation is concerned,” he noted.”Neither can we accept this policy just because those targeted are whites.”Kauandenge, who was speaking at the 26th commemoration of the death of former Nudo president Clemence Kapuuo, bemoaned the fact that Namibians still had to reach a national consensus on honouring its heroes and heroines.”Who is a hero and what defines heroism?” Kauandenge asked, before continuing: “The mere fact that one was a Plan fighter (Swapo’s military wing, the Peoples Liberation Army of Namibia) does not necessarily make one a hero.”He complained that the contribution of the late Kapuuo, who was gunned down by unknown assailants in 1978, to Namibia’s freedom was not being given the recognition it deserved.He claimed that results of Government resettlement programmes over the past 14 years indicated that top Government officials and their close associates were the main beneficiaries.”Indeed, if there is any expropriation, it will only benefit those who are already well-off, not those who really need land,” he warned.”It is outrageous for the Namibian Government to announce the expropriation of land while hiding behind the concept of the needs of the masses… Namibians are [being] taken for a ride with this announced redistribution of land.”Kauandenge said that the land expropriation announcement was made without careful consideration “as nobody seems to know what criteria will be used to identify those farms.”The Nudo secretary general was of the opinion that commercial farms should not be targeted simply because their owners were whites.”Although we represent 90 per cent of those who lost land in the past, we cannot blindly welcome a policy that does not satisfy our curiosity as far as its implementation is concerned,” he noted.”Neither can we accept this policy just because those targeted are whites.”Kauandenge, who was speaking at the 26th commemoration of the death of former Nudo president Clemence Kapuuo, bemoaned the fact that Namibians still had to reach a national consensus on honouring its heroes and heroines.”Who is a hero and what defines heroism?” Kauandenge asked, before continuing: “The mere fact that one was a Plan fighter (Swapo’s military wing, the Peoples Liberation Army of Namibia) does not necessarily make one a hero.”He complained that the contribution of the late Kapuuo, who was gunned down by unknown assailants in 1978, to Namibia’s freedom was not being given the recognition it deserved.