Over 7 000 customary land rights issued last year

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform says 7 532 communal land registrations were recorded in the 2023/24 financial year.

This number translates to 7 339 customary land rights, 96 rights of leasehold and 97 occupational land rights.

This data was revealed by agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein last week during a ministerial annual planning workshop in Windhoek.

Schlettwein said land purchase and/or acquisition and the ongoing resettlement programme remain critical for Namibia’s socio-economic transformation.

“This programme aims to rectify the past imbalances of land distribution and redistribute agricultural and commercial land to eligible landless Namibians,” he added.

LAND REFORM

Schlettwein said during the during the year under review, the ministry acquired 12 farms measuring 58,9 million hectares costing N$101,4 million and allocated to 23 beneficiaries.

“Furthermore, the ministry acquired four farms measuring 19,1 million hectares at a cost of N$18,6 million for the Neckartal Dam Irrigation Project.

Under the Programme for Communal Land Development, water supply infrastructure was developed for 21 small-scale commercial farms in the Kavango East region,” he said.

He added that the infrastructure works include installation of solar-powered borehole pumps, elevated storage tanks and livestock and domestic water points.

The land bill will be tabled in parliament during the 2024/25 financial year.

The Department of Agriculture and Land Reform this year received a budget of N$1,9 billion.

“A closer look reveals that Vote 37 of Agriculture and Land Reform received an increase of 8,8 %, of which 4,4 % is catering for the envisaged salary increases for our staff members. Further, we have to compensate for an estimated 5% inflation, leaving the ministry de facto with a reduced buying power,” he added.