WINDHOEK –The prominent issue to be investigated and actions taken at the land conference are the reasons and challenges as to why the Ministry of Land Reform waived five million hectares of land offered since 1992, rather than abolishing the principle of willing buyer, willing seller, says the Namibian Agricultural Union (NAU) president, Ryno van der Merwe.
Van der Merwe dismissed rumours of the NAU not partaking in the second land conference. He stressed the fact that the agricultural sector is in dire need of growth, and it is of utmost importance that investments take place to increase productivity of land. The NAU says according to the statistics of the National Statistics Agency, since 1992 more than eight million hectares of land were offered to government through the willing buyer, willing seller initiative.
An estimated three million hectares of land were bought by the Ministry of Land Reform for resettlement purposes, while five million hectares were waived to be sold to any willing buyer.
He says the NAU has developed a land ownership database of all title deeds in Namibia, and it continuously monitors the progress with land reform and change in ownership of title deed farms. The latest update of the database shows that Namibia consists of 82.4 million hectares, of which 13.6 million hectares consist of national parks and restricted areas. Land utilised for agricultural purposes, private tourism, town lands and mines is about 68 million hectares in total, of which 56 percent (38 million ha) are freehold title deed land and 44 percent (30 million ha) are communal land.
Due to a peaceful land reform process implemented by the government under the current and previous leadership, previously disadvantaged individuals as well as government currently own 9.5 million hectares of title deed areas in Namibia.
Therefore, about 60 percent of total land in Namibia utilised for agricultural purposes, private tourism, mines and town lands (including communal areas) currently belongs to either the government or previously disadvantaged individuals.
“The NAU wants to reiterate that we fully support the land reform process. We have trust in government that the constitution will be upheld, while this process takes place.”