Namibia: Farm expropiation drive misguided

March 3 2004
PRESS RELEASE

MISGUIDED FARM EXPROPIATION DRIVE

As human rights organization, NSHR fully supports in principle, expropriation of private property, including land, in the public interest. NSHR also strongly opposes all unfair dismissals or unfair labor practices and unlawful evictions committed by both private and public entities.

Nevertheless, by the same principle, NSHR also questions the motive and reason the Government has given for the sudden and expedient move to expropriate certain white-owned commercial farms in this country. The Government argues that the present expropriation drive, albeit with just compensation, is intended to “speedy up” the land reform process in order to enhance poverty alleviation programs. Specifically, NSHR questions the bona fides of the present land reform process on the following grounds:

1. There is no track record or history indicating that the Government has been working in the public interest. Hence, if the Government was really interested in promoting the public interest, then the practical track record since Independence points to the contrary.

2. Virtually all statistics on human development indicate that during the last 13 years, poverty has been increasing steadily as evident from ever-growing income disparities. In other words, while the human development indices (HDI) deteriorate steadily, the per capita gross national product increases steadily. This is why or how the United Nations classifies Namibia as one of worst performers worldwide in terms income distribution among its population.

3. Many of the public interest laws in the country either have only recently been promulgated or have yet to be enacted. For example, legislation governing key public interest issues, such as basic education, communal land reform, minimum wage, affirmative action, combating of corruption, customary marriages, children rights and persons with disability, to mention but a few, have either only been passed during the last three years or have yet to be enacted 14 years after independence.

However, legislative priority was given to passing laws that were either politically expedient or made it easier for the governing elite to enrich itself through either State employment or assuming control of lucrative businesses in the construction, commercial farming, banking, fishing, hotel and casino, mining, printing and transportation sectors, to mention just a few.

4. Expropriation of private property, including white-owned commercial farms, does not compare well in the presence of wholesale privatization, the reverse process, in this country. Privatization of public or state-owned corporations has become widespread as evident at NamPower, NamWater, NamPost and other public-owned enterprises. Privatization has led to prices of essential goods and services, such as education, health care, water, electricity and telecommunication services becoming unaffordable to ordinary citizens. This process is being carried out in accordance with the globalization agenda of IMF and World Bank.

5. In his statement in the National Assembly yesterday, Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Honorable Lucas Pohamba, seems to make a clear distinction between “commercial farmers”, on the one hand, and “Namibian farmers” on the other. This classification appears to expose hidden racism behind the expropriation drive, directed against white commercial farmers only. Over the last 14 years white citizens have been subjected to acts of racism, often branded “Europeans, foreigners or whites” by high-ranking Government officials.

6. There appears to be a misleading impression created equating ownership of white-owned commercial farms to the eradication of poverty.

7. Much more public monies have been spent or set aside to be spend on the construction of grandiose landscapes, such as the new State House for President Sam Nujoma and the Heroes Acre. According to the Government only N$20 million has been set aside for the acquisition of land for the resettlement of landless citizens. However, over N$500 million has been or will be set aside to enable construction of the new State House.

8. Oukwanyama Senior Head George Nelulu (62) was recently evicted and his communal farm “in the public interest” without compensation. This discounts Government claims that the public interest is the real motive for the planned expropriation of white-owned commercial farms.

For further comment, please contact: Phil ya Nangoloh or Dorkas Nangolo-Phillemon at Tel: 061 236 183 or 061 253 447