Patience Makwele
Members of parliament have questioned whether Namibia is getting meaningful returns from millions of dollars spent acquiring commercial farmland, arguing that land reform must be measured by what it delivers to beneficiaries, not simply by the number of hectares purchased.
The concerns emerged during the National Assembly’s Tuesday’s debate on the appointment of four nominees to the Land Reform Advisory Commission (LRAC), with MPs calling for greater accountability, better post-settlement support and clear measures to establish whether redistributed land is improving livelihoods.
Figures from the ministry of agriculture’s 2024/25 statistics show that 41 291.5681 hectares were acquired through 11 farms at a total cost of N$115.09 million. This exceeded the annual target of 26 387 hectares.
However, Affirmative Repositioning (AR) MP Ester Sakaria-Haikola questioned whether the figures told the full story, asking what had happened to the land after acquisition and whether the investment had translated into tangible benefits for those it was intended to help.
“We have a land acquisition system, but do we have a land performance system to track, evaluate, and enforce the post-acquisition productivity and socioeconomic impact of redistributed land?” she asked.
Sakaria-Haikola said the success of land reform could no longer be judged primarily by the amount of land acquired.
The government, she argued, needed to establish whether farms were being used productively and whether beneficiaries were becoming economically independent.
She called for a system that measures job creation, agricultural output, household incomes, food production and the number of beneficiaries who have become commercially sustainable.
The commission, she said, should advise the minister not only on land acquisition but also on how to assess the performance of land after it has been allocated.
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) MP Diederik Vries also called for stronger accountability, proposing that the commission adopt a three-year institutional performance plan covering its current term from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2029.
He said the plan should set measurable targets, including the number of matters received and concluded, processing times, recommendations submitted and outstanding cases.
Vries argued that parliament should be able to assess the commission against clear annual targets, supported by regular reports on its work.
He further called for a properly resourced professional secretariat, access to specialised technical expertise and mechanisms to protect the independence of the commission’s recommendations.
“The public must have confidence that the commission operates according to objective criteria and that its recommendations are based on evidence rather than personal, political or other inappropriate considerations,” he said.
Meanwhile, Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) MP Nelson Kalangula stressed that acquiring land was only the beginning of the resettlement process, warning that beneficiaries needed support to make their farms productive and sustainable.
He said the advisory framework should monitor land utilisation and guide the ministry on providing targeted credit facilities, agricultural extension services and infrastructure support.
Kalangula also questioned the timing of documentation submitted to parliament for the scrutiny of nominees.
While acknowledging the experience and expertise of nominee Jeaneth Kuhanga, he raised concerns about her continued appointment after reaching the retirement age of 60 in June 2026.
He argued that opportunities should also be created for younger people seeking to contribute to national development.
He further said the curriculum vitae of replacement nominees were only provided on 15 September, leaving MPs with limited time to scrutinise their qualifications before considering the appointments.
IPC MP Abednego Hishoono cautioned against treating the appointments as a routine parliamentary exercise, saying land reform was closely tied to Namibia’s history, identity, livelihoods and national reconciliation.
He questioned whether the system was genuinely resettling landless Namibians or creating perceptions that land allocation could be used to reward political loyalty or influence the demographic composition of communities.
Hishoono said the government had a responsibility to address such concerns through transparency, evidence and proper oversight, insisting that land must be allocated according to the law, objective criteria and the public interest.
Also commenting, National Democratic Party (NDP) MP Martin Lukato outlined the statutory requirements governing the ministerial nominees, including professional qualifications, the exclusion of active public servants, gender representation and approval by the National Assembly.
The four nominees proposed to serve for three years, from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2029, are Cardini Roman, Jeaneth Kuhanga, Mona-Lisa McKay and Ermelinda Tjimune.
The debate placed renewed focus on whether the resources invested in land reform are translating into productive farms, sustainable livelihoods and opportunities for the people the programme is meant to benefit.
