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The issue of ancestral land claims has become a highly controversial topic in recent years, with independent groupings putting government under pressure to speed up the land reform process.
The executive manager of the Namibia Agricultural Union, Sakkie Coetzee, expressed concern over the upcoming land conference and the discussion of ancestral land claims that could be made on large tracts of land, which include private farms.
Referring to the upcoming land conference where ancestral land claims will also be under the spotlight, Coetzee said it was made clear at the first conference that such claims would not enjoy any consideration.
Swapo parliamentarian and former land reform deputy minister Bernadus Swartbooi last weekend threatened to take the livestock of landless people to President Hage Geingob's farm if government does not address the land issue.
“If that is not a blatant threat to the President, I don't know what is,” said Coetzee, who was speaking at the Annual Congress of the Agricultural Employers' Association.
Coetzee, however, told delegates that the fact is they may find themselves with ancestral claims to their land. “It can be that it is your land which the claimant wants,” he added.
The Landless People's Movement has succeeded in forcing government to discuss the issue of ancestral land claims at the highly anticipated second land conference due to take place in September.
Swartbooi has used meetings organised by the group to demand for land redistribution.
The youthful Swartbooi was fired last year by Geingob after calling his senior Utoni Nujoma an idiot in the National Assembly. He also blasted Nujoma for having failed the landless of the south.
Labour relations
Meanwhile, the farmer's conference further discussed labour relations on farms, with Coetzee saying although there are still some problems in the sector, generally relations have improved.
It was noted that the past year was marked by peace and stability with regards to labour relations on commercial farms with disputes.
Coetzee said in comparison to other sectors, labour cases on farms are reported on minimally.
“The conflicts in the sector have decreased and relationships have really improved,” he said.
However, Coetzee said that are still improvements that can be made and referred to the call made by Geingob on the farmers to improve facilities for farmworkers.
From the floor one of the delegates expressed her shock and dismay at the living standards that some farmworkers still have to endure.
She described the housing provided to some farmworkers as shocking, saying that there are no toilets or showers.
“There are still farmers that are not abiding by the law.”
Coetzee went said if farmers want to retain workers on farms they need to look into the social needs of their employees, retirement options and also promotions.
The chairperson of the Agricultural Employer's Association, Christina Stoman, said although commercial farmers are trying to negotiate an increased minimum wage for farmworkers, communal farmers do not want to come to the negotiating table.
Stoman said that this would be discussed further during the congress later this year.
The mandate was given for an increased minimum wage during the 2016 congress however the negotiations failed when Namibia National Farmers' Union (NNFU) refused further negotiations.
Although several attempts to communicate further were made, the union did not respond.
The Agricultural Employer's Association therefore decided that due to the drought and the poor economic situation that it would not announce a one-sided minimum wage for its members.
Meanwhile, Stoman said the Directorate of Veterinary Service (DVS) is failing in creating a profitable and environment for producers.
“Many DVS offices are struggling with no electricity due to unpaid bills. It is struggling to maintain the Veterinary Cordon Fence because people are not being paid S&T. Hence we the producers are missing out on the enabling environment that should be in place for food production.”
She said that this is just one example in the government and that public servants in many departments are extremely lax at answering phones and correspondence.
“So often their service amounts to nothing. It is the role of the government to provide an enabling environment. Suppose we stop doing our jobs… there will be no meat and no grain. And no employment for 23% of the country's population.”
ELLANIE SMIT