Local authorities should do the right thing and give land to the landless people, especially the youth. The fact is that the Namibian youth make up the majority of our population. And it could be true that the landless youth make up the majority of the youth.
Firstly, all the youth want is land or plot or an erf or piece of land in a local authority of residence. Secondly, those in offices of power, especially the elected ones like local authority councillors need to remember that they were elected to those powerful positions by the people – majority without land and a few with land. So councillors just need to listen to their electorate and engage them in order to solve the land crisis amicably.
Thirdly, young people – with land or without land – don’t eat their daily three meals at the national, regional or district headquarters of any political party in Namibia. Young people eat food and pay rent from their own hard-earned money. The majority of the landless youth, and a few old ones, are teachers, engineers, nurses, police officers, soldiers, etc, who work tirelessly to earn money from private and public institutions and not from any political party’s coffers.
Fourthly, the landless youth in groups or individually don’t need authorisation from any politician or office to apply for land in an independent Namibia. Therefore, what an applicant for land needs to provide to the local authorities are whatever requirements that need to be fulfilled.
Fifthly, the local authority should respond to the applications or engage those applicants and indicate when the land will be made available instead of locking themselves in the offices and saying “no comments” every time the media seeks answers on behalf of the applicants. The local authorities need to start having weekly meetings with the landless. In those meetings, the expansion plans of the city or town should be communicated with the landless and timeframe must be given as to when the land will be ready for the landless to build their homes.
Therefore, let the urban land – serviced and even unserviced, which is there in abundance – be given to those who applied without further delay!
Finally, the slogan “Aluta Continua” should also discontinue because we have been saying it before independence and after independence, and it seems this “Aluta Continua” song only has true meaning to the poor and middle class and not the upper class or rich. So let the youth know the true meaning of peace and stability by owning an erf or plot in an independent Namibia! The struggle for urban land must come to end!
Egonga lya Iipumbu
Youth leader/activist