NAMIBIA: Government urged to speed up land reform

Four non-governmental organisations in Namibia have joined forces in an effort to pressurise the government into speeding up the land reform and resettlement process. The National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW), the Namibian National farmers Union (NNFU), the Rural Institute for Social Empowerment (RISE) and the Namibian Non-Governmental Forum (NANGOF), said the decision to work together was taken after individual efforts had proved ineffective. A spokesman for NNFU in the capital, Windhoek told IRIN on Wednesday the organisations' concerns were based on number of issues. He said one of the biggest complaints was that the process "appeared to be conducted on a haphazard basis." Farms are "being bought, but then are left idle. There is no clear implementation policy, it doesn't seem like there is any planning involved. The process lacks a holistic approach." The spokesman added that the whole process was "a bit paternalistic". He said there was a lack of "broader consultation" with the affected communities and often the land on offer was not fit for agriculture. "We are farmers, we know what is good farming land, we feel that we are wise enough to know when the land won't bear anything." Redistribution was a key aspect of Namibia's liberation war. Most agricultural land is in private hands with 20 percent of the population owning about 75 percent of the land. After independence in 1989, the government embarked on a policy of land reform. But, constitutionally, land can only be bought from farmers willing to sell. According to a spokesman for the ministry of lands, resettlement and redistribution, 20,000 people have so far been successfully resettled, with a further 60,000 on the waiting list. But, he added, "there are constantly more people being added to this list." A land specialist told IRIN: "Land reform in Namibia is seen as an important issue because it gives previously landless people access to land that they can call their own." He added: "It gives people a sense of ownership and allows them to have the feeling that they can provide for themselves and their families." Among the intended beneficiaries of reform were ex-combatants, previously landless communities like the San bushmen as well as communal farmers. But, according to the land expert, the problem with government policy is that land prices are "very high" and these costs are often passed on to those looking to be resettled. The private 'The Namibian' newspaper this week quoted the minister of lands as saying the resettlement process had been delayed by the "extremely cumbersome and time-consuming" procedures as laid down in the land reform act. But, he added these "procedures had to be adhered to for the sake of transparency and fairness to everyone who qualified to be allocated land and the public in general."