Landless draw battle lines

Landless draw battle linesLand indaba only set for September Activists in the South are putting pressure on land reform minister Utoni Nujoma ahead of the tabling of the Land Bill in the National Assembly. Namibians who do not own land say unfair land distribution in the country is the main reason why they are resisting the tabling of the Land Bill by land reform minister Utoni Nujoma.

The activists’ strategies to block the tabling of the Land Bill before the second land conference include organising a mass protest march, silent protests, community meetings and regional meetings.

The activists’ intention to demonstrate their anger and anguish gained momentum in the wake of the dismal of Land Reform deputy minister Bernardus Swartbooi.

They are now planning to launch a countrywide protest on 16 January when Nujoma, is expected to table the Land Bill and they have invited Swartbooi to address them about the land issue.

“But before that, we want to have a protest march on 13 January in Keetmanshoop. No Land Bill before land conference,” Paul Thomas, leading land activists in Keetmanshoop said.

He criticised the tabling of the Land Bill before the land conference saying it does not make sense arguing that the Land Bill must be used first as a working document for the land conference.

Protest marches are planned to take place at the National Assembly building in Windhoek as well as regional governors and constituency councillors’ offices in the affected regions.

Thomas also said a silent protest is planned for 19 January and the date the regional land allocation committee is scheduled to sit at Schützenhaus in Keetmanshoop. The regional land allocation committee is chaired by the regional governor.

Towards the end of last year, the lobbying advanced by land activists and outcomes of the land consultative meetings resulted in the Swapo Parliamentary Caucus forcing Nujoma to have the Land Bill that he had tabled withdrawn. Meanwhile President Hage Geingob in his New Year’s message announced that his government plans to hold the Second Land Conference by September 2017. He said the conference is expected to review resolutions of the First Land Conference of 1991 to guide the government moving forward.

The activists however want the conference to take place earlier than September. Thomas argued that the land issue evokes emotions and postponing the conference to September would further raise the emotions higher.

The land activists are also planning a land conference for landless people in Namibia.

According to Thomas, the land conference for the landless this will take place before the land conference in order for the activists to present resolutions passed at the landless people’s conference as proposals to the national land conference.

Prior and over the festive season, landless people organised ecumenical church services to pray for fair land distribution as one people and bringing down church affiliation walls.

“We have allowed fairness and justice to collapse in this country,” an elderly landless citizen said.

The lobbying by the activists will continue after 16 January. Swartbooi has been invited to speak at the February 4 meeting in Keetmanshoop in the //Karas Region. The following day, he will address people in Maltahöhe and according to sources meetings are expected to take place in Otjozondjupa and Omaheke regions at dates yet to be determined.

FRED GOEIEMAN