Sluggish pace of land reform means target won’t be met

Sluggish pace of land reform means target won’t be met

GOVERNMENT will not be able to reach its target of buying 15,3 million hectares of agricultural land by the year 2020 because of the sluggish pace at which the land reform programme is moving, Lands Deputy Minister Isak Katali said on Friday.

Addressing delegates to the land conference organised by the Namibia Farmworkers’ Union (Nafwu), Katali said the Ministry of Lands had only acquired 1,3 million hectares of land (209 farms) so far through willing-seller, willing-buyer transactions and expropriation, at a cost of more than N$215,4 million. “We wish to see by the year 2020 some 26 727 families benefit from land reform on 15,3 million hectares of agricultural land at a total cost of N$3,723 billion, which is N$248,2 million annually,” Katali said.However, Government only sets aside N$50 million to buy commercial farms on the willing-seller, willing-buyer principle, which means all farms for sale must first be offered to the Ministry of Lands.If the Ministry finds the deal unsuitable, it issues a waiver allowing the land to be sold on the market.Katali said the State issued waiver certificates for 785 farms covering 3,5 million hectares in favour of previously disadvantaged Namibians who bought them through the Affirmative Action Loan Scheme since Independence in 1990.”Many other farms have been and are being waived due to unsuitability for resettlement,” Katali told the conference.However, he criticised white commercial farmers who were either reluctant to offer farms or only offered Government those that were unsuitable for farming.Some others, he said, had challenged the Government’s decision to expropriate their land.”The court cases lead to lengthy legal arbitrations which, in turn, prolong the acquisition process,” he said.He said those challenging the Government were exploiting loopholes in the expropriation process.”The Ministry is currently amending its Acts with a view to close any loophole which is perceived to be an obstacle to the land reform,” Katali said.Swapo Member of Parliament Elia Kaiyamo said his Party was in the process of increasing the amount being allocated for the purchase of farms from N$50 million a year to N$100 million.”These resources will also be utilised to build capacity of those to be resettled on land acquired by Government for resettlement purposes so that they become productive and efficient farmers,” he told the conference.He said Swapo was also looking at ways to expropriate more farms (around 1,2 million hectares) from absentee landlords – “a move that will be undertaken within the framework of the law”.Swanu leader Ruhipisa Kandando told the conference expropriation has had no meaningful results.”The main reason is that the political will from the ruling elite is not favourable,” he said.Kandando said large commercial farmers were not affected by the land reform programme because the Ministry of Lands was buying the land on a “voluntary basis only”.The conference was held under the theme ‘Give the land back to the people’ and was open to all interested people, including members of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) and the Namibia National Farmers’ Union (NNFU).”We wish to see by the year 2020 some 26 727 families benefit from land reform on 15,3 million hectares of agricultural land at a total cost of N$3,723 billion, which is N$248,2 million annually,” Katali said.However, Government only sets aside N$50 million to buy commercial farms on the willing-seller, willing-buyer principle, which means all farms for sale must first be offered to the Ministry of Lands.If the Ministry finds the deal unsuitable, it issues a waiver allowing the land to be sold on the market.Katali said the State issued waiver certificates for 785 farms covering 3,5 million hectares in favour of previously disadvantaged Namibians who bought them through the Affirmative Action Loan Scheme since Independence in 1990.”Many other farms have been and are being waived due to unsuitability for resettlement,” Katali told the conference.However, he criticised white commercial farmers who were either reluctant to offer farms or only offered Government those that were unsuitable for farming.Some others, he said, had challenged the Government’s decision to expropriate their land.”The court cases lead to lengthy legal arbitrations which, in turn, prolong the acquisition process,” he said.He said those challenging the Government were exploiting loopholes in the expropriation process.”The Ministry is currently amending its Acts with a view to close any loophole which is perceived to be an obstacle to the land reform,” Katali said.Swapo Member of Parliament Elia Kaiyamo said his Party was in the process of increasing the amount being allocated for the purchase of farms from N$50 million a year to N$100 million.”These resources will also be utilised to build capacity of those to be resettled on land acquired by Government for resettlement purposes so that they become productive and efficient farmers,” he told the conference.He said Swapo was also looking at ways to expropriate more farms (around 1,2 million hectares) from absentee landlords – “a move that will be undertaken within the framework of the law”.Swanu leader Ruhipisa Kandando told the conference expropriation has had no meaningful results.”The main reason is that the political will from the ruling elite is not favourable,” he said.Kandando said large commercial farmers were not affected by the land reform programme because the Ministry of Lands was buying the land on a “voluntary basis only”.The conference was held under the theme ‘Give the land back to the people’ and was open to all interested people, including members of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) and the Namibia National Farmers’ Union (NNFU).

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