Namibia’s measures on resettlement issue
In the next five years the Namibian government plans to expropriate 192 farms owned by foreigners which combined cover an area of 1,268,911 hectares, according to the country’s outgoing president Sam Nujoma.
"During the next five years the SWAPO Party Government will expropriate 192 farms belonging to foreign landlords in order to resettle more people and enable them to become productive and proud land owners," Nujoma said at the launch of the ruling South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) election manifesto.
Since independence in 1990, the government has spent more than N$70 million ($10.5 million) on buying 567,000 hectares of freehold farmland, which equates to N$123.50 ($18.61) per hectare. About 243,000 communal farmers are said to be still waiting for land.
According to government statistics, about 30.5-million hectares of agricultural land is owned by white farmers and only 2.2-million hectares by black farmers. Absentee landlords are said to own 2.9-million hectares, while the state 2.3-million. South African and German nationals reportedly own at least 164 farms covering 1.14-million hectares and many more farms are owned by other foreign citizens.
Land tax will also be introduced to compel farmers to sell unused land to the government, designed at raising revenue of about R20m ($3.5 million) each year. The mainly white Namibian Agricultural Union claims that the 12,509 taxable commercial farming properties include smallholdings which are not commercially viable.
