Land acquisition process spelled out

Payment for land expropriated by the Namibian government would be determined in a manner similar to that in the current "willing buyer, willing seller" framework, Namibian authorities announced on Tuesday. The Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation, Hifikepunye Pohamba, revealed some details of a recently announced expropriation policy in parliament on Tuesday. He did not indicate when the policy would come into effect, or if any farms had already been targeted for expropriation, but said the willing-seller, willing-buyer approach had "failed to deliver the required results", and expropriation would start soon "in a peaceful and orderly manner, in accordance with the constitution and the applicable laws". Chrispin Matongela, a spokesman for the ministry distanced the new policy from the controversial land reform programme in Zimbabwe. "After a farm or piece of land has been identified for expropriation, a notice will be sent to the owner. The owner will approach the government with a value of his land, which will then be negotiated between the two parties. If the owner is unhappy with an offer made by the government, he has the option of taking it to the Land Tribunal," Matongela told IRIN. Pohamba also reportedly told parliament that the government would move "to acquire property through expropriation only after due consultation with the Land Reform Advisory Commission, which is composed of all stakeholders."