/Khomanin get 8 000 ha of land
A good start, Schlettwein says
Agriculture and Land Reform Minister Calle Schlettwein says the establishment of communal land within the Khomas Region is a significant breakthrough.
The government remains committed to acquiring more commercial land to expand communal land in the Khomas Region.
This is according to the agriculture and land reform minister Calle Schlettwein, who spoke during the handover of communal land of almost 8 133 hectares to the /Khomanin Traditional Authority on Monday.
Schlettwein said their struggle began in 1990 when they protested in front of the gates of the Daan Viljoen National Game Reserve and demanded access to land.
"The Khomas Region does not have communal land within its borders. When Namibia gained its independence in 1990, it was the only region without communal land," the minister explained.
"Land was owned by the state only as public land or as otherwise legally owned by private entities. Ownership of land was regulated by a freehold legal system or could only be acquired through leasehold rights, in both commercial and village land," Schlettwein said.
"There was no customary land rights allocation because there were no statutory bodies mandated to administer them due to the absence of communal land," he added.
Communal land demands
According to Schlettwein, during the second national land conference in 2018, a call was once again made to specifically establish communal land in the Khomas Region.
"Finally, communal land was created in the Khomas Region, after the government acquired land from two commercial farms in the region," he said.
Portions of the farms Groot Korasieplaats with a combined size of 8132.9 hectares were acquired at a cost of almost N$33.9 million, including transfer costs.
"After the acquisition, the government decided through Cabinet to convert the farmland to communal land for the /Khomanin Traditional Authority," Schlettwein said.
He said he knows the hectare size of the farms east of the Hosea Kutako International Airport is too small to accommodate the large community of the /Khomanin.
"However, I see this establishment of communal land as a breakthrough," he emphasised.
‘A good start’
Schlettwein also appealed to owners of neighbouring farms to offer more farms for the expansion of this communal land.
"I see this as a good start to unite our community towards agricultural and other economic activities. This is a good start for the /Khomanin Traditional Authority to strengthen its deprived traditions. This is a good start to teach our children about agriculture and how to support themselves off the land," Schlettwein said.
"I strongly believe that everything starts small and expands later. A house is first built with one brick until a complete house materialises."
Furthermore, Schlettwein gave assurances that the alleged mismanagement of communal land in Namibia is being tackled. These include illegal fencing, trading in land rights in communal areas, overgrazing, overexploitation of resources, poaching, illegal hunting and vandalism of infrastructure.
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This is according to the agriculture and land reform minister Calle Schlettwein, who spoke during the handover of communal land of almost 8 133 hectares to the /Khomanin Traditional Authority on Monday.
Schlettwein said their struggle began in 1990 when they protested in front of the gates of the Daan Viljoen National Game Reserve and demanded access to land.
"The Khomas Region does not have communal land within its borders. When Namibia gained its independence in 1990, it was the only region without communal land," the minister explained.
"Land was owned by the state only as public land or as otherwise legally owned by private entities. Ownership of land was regulated by a freehold legal system or could only be acquired through leasehold rights, in both commercial and village land," Schlettwein said.
"There was no customary land rights allocation because there were no statutory bodies mandated to administer them due to the absence of communal land," he added.
Communal land demands
According to Schlettwein, during the second national land conference in 2018, a call was once again made to specifically establish communal land in the Khomas Region.
"Finally, communal land was created in the Khomas Region, after the government acquired land from two commercial farms in the region," he said.
Portions of the farms Groot Korasieplaats with a combined size of 8132.9 hectares were acquired at a cost of almost N$33.9 million, including transfer costs.
"After the acquisition, the government decided through Cabinet to convert the farmland to communal land for the /Khomanin Traditional Authority," Schlettwein said.
He said he knows the hectare size of the farms east of the Hosea Kutako International Airport is too small to accommodate the large community of the /Khomanin.
"However, I see this establishment of communal land as a breakthrough," he emphasised.
‘A good start’
Schlettwein also appealed to owners of neighbouring farms to offer more farms for the expansion of this communal land.
"I see this as a good start to unite our community towards agricultural and other economic activities. This is a good start for the /Khomanin Traditional Authority to strengthen its deprived traditions. This is a good start to teach our children about agriculture and how to support themselves off the land," Schlettwein said.
"I strongly believe that everything starts small and expands later. A house is first built with one brick until a complete house materialises."
Furthermore, Schlettwein gave assurances that the alleged mismanagement of communal land in Namibia is being tackled. These include illegal fencing, trading in land rights in communal areas, overgrazing, overexploitation of resources, poaching, illegal hunting and vandalism of infrastructure.
– [email protected]
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