Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Khomas Regional Governor, Laura McLeod-Katjirua, has called upon the Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein, to accelerate land acquisition within the Khomas Region to tackle the prevailing land scarcity issue.
“Since independence, the Ministry has acquired only 18 farms, of which 4 farms were transferred from the then Ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of Land. Honourable Minister, this number is insignificant given the population expansion of the Khomas Region,” she said.
The governor made these remarks at the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform’s Ministerial Annual Planning Workshop, which is taking place in Windhoek from 15 April to 19 April.
“Khomas Region is the only region in the country with only 18 farms since independence and without a communal area, with a population of 494,605 as per the recent Namibian Statistics Agency. The population size is the largest compared to all regions in the country due to the influx of people migrating to the city for social and economic opportunities,” she said.
McLeod-Katjirua explained that the Agriculture Ministry has acquired a total of 8132 hectares (Ha) of farmland in the Khomas Region during the previous financial year. However, she added, this land has not yet been allocated.
“The acquired farm will be communalised and handed to the !Khomanin Traditional Authority if directed by the Cabinet of the Republic of Namibia. This is a good move, and I thank the Ministry for this initiative,” McLeod-Katjirua said.
She emphasised that the !Khomanin Traditional Authority’s demand for land remains a thorny issue, as the traditional authority requires urgent land intervention by the ministry to reduce pressure on demand.
She therefore urged Schlettwein to ensure that his ministry’s current budget focuses on acquiring land for the !Khomanin Traditional Authority and the Khomas region to reduce land demands on the region.
“I don’t have proper statistics for now in terms of the number of farms we need in Khomas to alleviate land pressure, but if your budget permits, we could target at least 5 farms each financial year within the national rolling budget, targeting at least 50 farms, so that we can address land demand in the region,” the governor added.
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