By Matheus Hamutenya
GIBEON – Leaders in the Hardap Region gathered at Gibeon this week to discuss the issue of land scarcity and the country’s resettlement process, which they said were not in conformity with why Namibians waged the liberation war.
A local constituency councillor, Jeremias van Neel from Gibeon, remarked that Namibia’s liberation struggle was anchored around the issue of land, hence the need to fast-track the land distribution programme.
The information-sharing meeting attended by traditional leaders, regional councilors and community members was aimed at presenting and critically reviewing government’s resettlement process and assess its progress and reviewing various criteria of resettlement.
The meeting also focused on understanding the roles and responsibilities of various structures in the resettlement process, formulating recommendations aimed at improving the current process and recommending a regional plan of action to strengthen the current programme.
Speaking at the meeting, Van Neel outlined that the primary objective of the liberation struggle was land, he acknowledged that although much has been done since 1990 to address the land issue, land reform remains a thorny subject.
He said 24 years on the land matter remains one of the main challenges. He linked the land problem to the high levels of poverty and inequality prevalent in the country.
Van Neel further applauded the resolutions of the first national land reform conference but highlighted not enough was being done. “The process has been slow causing frustrations among our citizens,” he noted.
Speaking at the same meeting, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Resettlement Theodor Diergaardt said despite the many challenges, the government through his ministry has since 1990 acquired 76 resettlement farms in the Hardap region.
According to Diergaardt, a total land size of 483 420.66 hectares has been acquired through the willing seller, willing buyer system where a total of 309 families have been resettled.
He, however, expressed his disappointment at people making money out of their farms, as they lease them to other people and get money in return. “If you haven’t set foot in your farm in 10 years, then you don’t really need a farm,” he emphasized
He added that the government provides post-settlement support, which includes rehabilitation of water infrastructure, post-settlement financing support programme, farmers’ training support programme and the fencing of resettlement farms.
Diergaardt also pointed out that despite the positive outcomes, his ministry receives high numbers of applications compared to the farms advertised, making applicants to compete for resettlement. He also urged a review of the scoring system so as to eliminate the loopholes in gender that are being exploited by some applicants to score more points.
The gathering also saw little discussion on the way forward for the region’s education following a dismal performance in the Junior Secondary Certificate (JSC).
The Hardap Region is ranked the worst performing region in the country at number 14, having dropped four places.