Erasmus Shalihaxwe
Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement leader, Job Amupanda described the government’s recent announcement to gradually remove the red line as nothing more than an election tactic aimed at securing votes in the upcoming elections by the ruling party, Swapo.
He said this during his party’s media conference in Windhoek on Wednesday.
“The red line represents the weakest moment for any freedom fighter in Namibia’s history. To have any freedom fighter or a political organisation that purports to have fought for freedom to be defending the red line is part of the lowest point you can ever find,” said Amupanda.
Last week, the deputy minister of information, and communication technology, Modestus Amutse, announced that the cabinet has approved the gradual removal of the red line.
The proposal was submitted for approval to the Cabinet by the minister of agriculture, water, and land reform, Calle Schlettwein.
Introduced in 1897, the 1250 km veterinary cordon fence separates the northern communal farms from the commercial farming areas.
The Cabinet directed the ministry of agriculture, water and land reform to carry out a feasibility study over two financial years, from 2024/25 to 2025/26.
The estimated budget of the feasibility study is to be determined and submitted to the Treasury for appropriation during the midterm budget review.
Amupanda dismissed the government announcement and said there is no need for a second feasibility study.
In 2014, a study was completed and submitted to the Cabinet.
The study recommended political will to make decisive decisions to remove the red line, which in turn will benefit a wide range of farmers to access lucrative meat markets in Europe and not only farmers on the southern side of the red line.
Amupanda added that the government is lying and taking advantage of people because it does not make sense to announce the removal of the red line while at the same time the same government is defending a court case to keep the red line.
“Not only are we exposing this government for what it is. We will be in court with the same regime. They have not withdrawn from the case to remove the red line, so the very same thing they are telling the public about, they are saying the direct opposite,’’ said Amupanda.
He added that the report has also recommended that the removal of the red line will see agriculture’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP).
“Basically, these guys that are keeping the red line and not wanting to remove it, are actually preventing our country from benefiting from agriculture’s contribution to our GDP. This regime wants to keep agriculture’s contribution to GDP at 5% because their own data, statistics and studies, which they paid millions of dollars for, say they will be able to increase it to 20%,” said Amupanda.
