‘Need more than 5 goats’

‘Need more than 5 goats’ Addressing the media, lands minister Utoni Nujoma said, “Government cannot resettle people with only five goats.” This follows a question about what his ministry will do about claims that senior ministers and permanent secretaries are given priority for resettlement below the Red Line.

He added that the economy needs the revenue collected from these farms and therefore must ensure the land is productively used.

He also pointed out that government is aware of the acute demand for land for agricultural purposes and the responsibility it has to bridge the gap in access to land.

“It must be balanced… you must see those who are capable. Not all of us are farmers… farming is a very difficult exercise. It is not just about ‘I need land’ and then you come and ask government for rations for drought relief,” he said.

Nujoma also emphasised that there has never been a deliberate campaign to deny some Namibians access to land.

“The ministry is committed to a transparent, fair and equitable land reform process that is guided by our agreed policy and legal framework. We reiterate our support of the Harambee Prosperity Plan and will further work smarter to fully strengthen the said initiatives as articulated under the land reform process,” he said.

This comes at a time when Nujoma is accused of driving a skewed resettlement process which deliberately sidelines people from the south.

Nujoma has also been attacked by his former deputy Bernadus Swartbooi who said he must be called to order for the way in which he is handling the land resettlement process.

A group of landless Namibians and supporters of Swartbooi on Friday handed over two petitions decrying the ministry’s handling of land.

The two groups called on the ministry to suspend the land resettlement process with immediate effect pending the outcome of the scheduled land conference.

They also demanded a reshuffling of the land reform department as it is allegedly full of corruption, nepotism, favouritism, discrimination, ethnicity and tribalism, and is ‘rent-seeking’.

Nujoma however said he is not in a position to respond to these calls as he has not yet seen the petition.

“We must guard against incitement that promotes tribalism, we are a unitary state. We must guard against inciting violence,” he pleaded.

Failure

Meanwhile a local agricultural expert who spoke on condition of anonymity said the resettlement process has not been thought through and is fundamentally on the wrong track.

“How do you make a living in an area that needs a large piece of land? What can you do with a little plot? You can only squat,” said the expert.

The expert also took issue with the Affirmative Action Loan Scheme which according to Nujoma is approved to beneficiaries who can prove to be productive farmers.

“Look at the number of farmers who rent out their farms to white farmers. What does this say about the scheme?” he asked.

JEMIMA BEUKES