Locals 'ripped' off in land sales

The chief of the Uukwangali Traditional Authority, Eugene Siwombe Kudumo, is concerned about the issue where locals sell their land along the Okavango River to investors to construct private businesses as this limits access to the river.Talking to Namibian Sun in Nkurenkuru, Kudumo said his people who resided along the river have now moved inland and in the process sold their land to investors.He said through this move, investors have set up businesses such as lodges that are fenced off. This has resulted in people having limited access to the river which he says affects the livelihoods of many. “My subjects who were residing along the river have now moved to inland and sold their land to investors for development purposes, mostly lodges,” Kudumo said.Kudumo said some of the land which was sold to investors was not done procedurally as the locals only received amounts between N$10 000 and N$20 000 and gave away their land without taking into consideration how it will affect them and their fellow countrymen.Elaborating on his concern, Kudumo said his people make a living from the fish in the river as using well as the water for drinking and doing household chores.“Access to the water is important as our people are using the river to fish and in our region we do not have enough boreholes. This is why people are still using the river to drink water and to wash their things. If this continues where people are selling the land to investors, access to the river will be very limited,” Kudumo said.He added that when the investors arrive they inform the community that there is no problem and that they will have access to the river but that is not the case. After some time they become strict and prohibit locals from entering their purchased area or else they will face consequences.“When they come, everything is fine but after they fence off the area, you will see signs stating that trespassers will be shot,” Kudumo said.Furthermore, Kudumo said the amount of money the locals get for selling their land is far less than the benefit the investors get out of the deal saying that for the 99-year leasehold, the next generation will benefit from the land while the locals will be without land.“The N$10 000 or N$20 000 the people normally get is mostly used up within a week or two while the investors who are leasing the land for 99 years will make a lot of money from it, and even if they die their children will come and take over,” he said.This is why Kudumo called on locals to look into partnerships with the investors where they can benefit over a longer period of time from the land and have access to the river at the same time instead of being paid a lump sum of money and left to go seek for another piece of land.Kudumo also pointed out that the issue of people selling land in an non-procedural manner was a result of the infighting within the Uukwangali Traditional Authority after the death of late death Hompa Sitentu Daniel Mpasi in 2014.He alleges that although he was sworn in this year, the pressure group which is against him is still making things difficult for him to run his affairs and serve his people. KENYA KAMBOWE

Locals 'ripped' off in land sales

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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Locals 'ripped' off in land sales

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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