Give back ancestral land - Swanu
The opposition party is demanding constitutional protection for ancestral land rights in Namibia.
Swanu says farms currently owned by white farmers and those occupied by resettled beneficiaries, who have not historically lost land, must be returned to indigenous Namibians who lost land through colonialism.
“Land that is ours; the land we owned previously before colonialism is ours, unless one wants to justify that stolen land can be kept,” said Swanu MP Usutuaije Maamberua.
“People resettled on land lost by indigenous groups should vacate that land.”
Maamberua said government's current resettlement scheme is “corrupt” and “fishy”, adding that Swanu has called for the resettlement programme to be put on hold.
He said mineral rights on such ancestral land should also be returned to the original owners of the land. Currently the rights to minerals, irrespective of landownership, reside with the state.
Swanu said at a media briefing this week that ancestral land rights should be the axis around which all discussions at the second national land conference revolve.
Like the Ovaherero Traditional Authority, Swanu has took strong exception to a remark attributed to President Hage Geingob, who at the opening of the Eenhana expo, was quoted as saying: “Namibia is our ancestral land and therefore we fought for it and got our ancestral land back.”
Swanu said while Geingob claims to have been misquoted, the statement was regrettable and requires the Namibian government to “come clean” on its position with regard to the ancestral land issue.
Swanu said such a statement does not take cognisance of the country's historic realities, saying the different experiences of land dispossession must influence efforts for land justice, so peace and stability can be sustained.
It said the current legislation on land protects the rights of a small minority, while the majority of indigenous Namibians are left without title deeds to land that they lost.
Internal colonisation
Swanu says a denial of ancestral land rights has resulted into what it called “internal colonisation”.
To illustrate its point, it mentioned the Bondelswarts that have lost most of its land and were deported to Gibeon. It said the Topnaars are now confined to a small enclave, after having lost most of their ancestral land.
Swanu said the first indigenous minorities – the San, Hai//om, Topnaars, Kauas, Ovatue, and others - currently face more challenges in terms of realising their indigenous rights, which include land rights.
Maamberua said the San in particular are today confined to what he described as “modern concentration camps” and subjected to group instead of individual resettlement.
He said Tsumkwe, the remaining small settlement area for San, is continually invaded by stronger and more resourced Namibians, which Maamberua said has grave consequences for the future of the San.
He said the Namibian government is complicit in these illegal invasions, because it is not stopping them.
“This is a clear indication that indigenous minority land rights are not protected by political affirmation and need to be guaranteed in the Namibian constitution,” Maamberua said.
Demand for constitutional change
Swanu said specific legislation that flows from a constitutional provision is more likely to satisfy the non-discrimination principle.
It said the constitutional protection of land rights should include expropriation of land.
It proposes that ancestral land claims find its way into the country's legislation, with a proposed cut-off date of 1883.
Catherine Sasman
“Land that is ours; the land we owned previously before colonialism is ours, unless one wants to justify that stolen land can be kept,” said Swanu MP Usutuaije Maamberua.
“People resettled on land lost by indigenous groups should vacate that land.”
Maamberua said government's current resettlement scheme is “corrupt” and “fishy”, adding that Swanu has called for the resettlement programme to be put on hold.
He said mineral rights on such ancestral land should also be returned to the original owners of the land. Currently the rights to minerals, irrespective of landownership, reside with the state.
Swanu said at a media briefing this week that ancestral land rights should be the axis around which all discussions at the second national land conference revolve.
Like the Ovaherero Traditional Authority, Swanu has took strong exception to a remark attributed to President Hage Geingob, who at the opening of the Eenhana expo, was quoted as saying: “Namibia is our ancestral land and therefore we fought for it and got our ancestral land back.”
Swanu said while Geingob claims to have been misquoted, the statement was regrettable and requires the Namibian government to “come clean” on its position with regard to the ancestral land issue.
Swanu said such a statement does not take cognisance of the country's historic realities, saying the different experiences of land dispossession must influence efforts for land justice, so peace and stability can be sustained.
It said the current legislation on land protects the rights of a small minority, while the majority of indigenous Namibians are left without title deeds to land that they lost.
Internal colonisation
Swanu says a denial of ancestral land rights has resulted into what it called “internal colonisation”.
To illustrate its point, it mentioned the Bondelswarts that have lost most of its land and were deported to Gibeon. It said the Topnaars are now confined to a small enclave, after having lost most of their ancestral land.
Swanu said the first indigenous minorities – the San, Hai//om, Topnaars, Kauas, Ovatue, and others - currently face more challenges in terms of realising their indigenous rights, which include land rights.
Maamberua said the San in particular are today confined to what he described as “modern concentration camps” and subjected to group instead of individual resettlement.
He said Tsumkwe, the remaining small settlement area for San, is continually invaded by stronger and more resourced Namibians, which Maamberua said has grave consequences for the future of the San.
He said the Namibian government is complicit in these illegal invasions, because it is not stopping them.
“This is a clear indication that indigenous minority land rights are not protected by political affirmation and need to be guaranteed in the Namibian constitution,” Maamberua said.
Demand for constitutional change
Swanu said specific legislation that flows from a constitutional provision is more likely to satisfy the non-discrimination principle.
It said the constitutional protection of land rights should include expropriation of land.
It proposes that ancestral land claims find its way into the country's legislation, with a proposed cut-off date of 1883.
Catherine Sasman
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