Sostenus Wilherm
Agriculture, fisheries and water and land reform minister Inge Zaamwani has ordered a five-year audit of farms acquired under Namibia’s land reform programme to determine how many beneficiaries have been resettled and whether the farms are being productively utilised.
Zaamwani issued the directive on Thursday while welcoming four new members of the Land Reform Advisory Commission, which is now fully constituted.
“We must assess the success of land reform through the productive use of allocated land and the improvements it brings to people’s lives,” Zaamwani said.
She directed the commission to establish how many farms were acquired over the past five years, how many people were resettled, the productivity of those farms and how many acquired farms remain unallocated.
The commission must also assess the condition of unallocated farms and determine what would be required to restore them to habitable conditions before allocation.
Zaamwani said the review should help the government identify challenges affecting beneficiaries and determine where additional support is needed to improve production and livelihoods.
“Land remains one of the poignant topics in our country and many landless Namibians yearn for a place they can home,” she said.
She acknowledged that demand for land far exceeds available land and tasked the commission with reviewing the current resettlement model and advising whether it can be improved to accommodate more people.
The minister said land reform must address historical inequalities while ensuring that beneficiaries are able to use allocated land productively and improve their living conditions.
She urged commissioners to conduct regular community engagements and field visits to understand the conditions facing beneficiaries and farmers on resettlement farms.
“Listen directly to beneficiaries, examine conditions on resettlement farms and understand the constraints affecting production,” Zaamwani said.
She said the commission should also strengthen monitoring and evaluation after land has been acquired and allocated, including identifying farms performing well, beneficiaries facing difficulties and interventions required to improve productivity.
Zaamwani said the success of land reform should not only be measured by the amount of land acquired or the number of beneficiaries resettled.
She said these measures must be accompanied by evidence of increased agricultural production, employment, household income and food security.
The minister further called on the commissioners to exercise independent judgement, scrutinise evidence and provide constructive advice to the Ministry.
“You should question assumptions, identify weaknesses in proposed interventions and advise me when an approach is unlikely to achieve its intended results,” she said.
The newly appointed commissioners are Cardini Roman, Jeaneth Kuhanga, Mona-Lisa Mckay and Ermelinda Tjimune. Their appointments run until 30 April 2029.
Zaamwani also highlighted calls from the National Assembly for the modernisation and digitalisation of land acquisition and allocation processes, which she acknowledged remain largely manual and cumbersome.
The commission was further urged to consider the resolutions of the Second National Land Conference, including the prioritisation of descendants of people dispossessed of land, in line with the conference’s 70/30 allocation resolution.
Zaamwani said land acquisition decisions should consider the prospects for productive use, the needs of intended beneficiaries and the support required after allocation.
She said the ministry would provide administrative and technical support to the commission, while expecting recommendations that improve implementation and strengthen support for resettlement beneficiaries.
The minister said she would hold quarterly meetings with the commission to receive feedback and discuss challenges and possible policy reforms.
