{"id":24635,"date":"2022-07-11T12:23:59","date_gmt":"2022-07-11T12:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/why-a-rethink-of-the-land-question-is-critical-in-namibia"},"modified":"2022-07-11T12:42:38","modified_gmt":"2022-07-11T12:42:38","slug":"why-a-rethink-of-the-land-question-is-critical-in-namibia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/why-a-rethink-of-the-land-question-is-critical-in-namibia","title":{"rendered":"Why a Rethink of the Land Question is Critical in Namibia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>NAMIBIA’S COLONIAL and apartheid history has left our generation with multifaceted impressions on the role of land.<\/p>\n

Apartheid has created structural legacies that make many of us believe that owning, occupying, and using land is emblematic of freedom. It has affected how we view the land.<\/p>\n

Our history of genocide has had a long-term demographic effect on all of us.<\/p>\n

It left the Namas and Hereros directly reduced in population and dehumanised as individuals and ethnic groups. For the country as a whole, it left us undignified.<\/p>\n

Together, our history has left permanent marks of social and economic inadequacies.<\/p>\n

It seems that our generation views land as a physical and emotional entity beyond its economic considerations.<\/p>\n

It also relates to identity, both for those who possess it and those who own it. Even the landless consider it an issue of identity.<\/p>\n

THE PRESENT SITUATION<\/p>\n

The second land conference \u2013 on the resolution ‘concerning ancestral land rights and claims’ \u2013 decided that \u201cmeasures to restore social justice and ensure economic empowerment of the affected communities\u201d should be identified.<\/p>\n

This was followed by a resolution that suggests using \u201creparations from the former colonial powers for the purpose of restoring social justice and empowering the affected communities\u201d.<\/p>\n

Although our Constitution does not allow for expropriation without just compensation, it seems this has become an impediment to land redistribution.<\/p>\n

One reason for the slow progress on land reform, which has resulted in unsustainable outcomes and elite capture of available land in Namibia, is the lack of a policy framework that clearly sets out targets for comprehensive growth.<\/p>\n

Some may argue that current legislation is based on empowerment objectives. However, we have a dangerous mix of colonial and post-colonial legislation.<\/p>\n

For instance, the land reform and flexible land tenure acts are designed to empower marginalised Namibians. However, we operate these laws under the apartheid-era Windhoek Town Planning Scheme of 1976.<\/p>\n

Another example is Namibia’s land resettlement concept. It may seem as though it is a new concept but it is not.<\/p>\n

This concept was introduced in the 1920s, and the current practice exists in the same shadow of ‘resettlement’ under the Odendaal Plan, which saw thousands of Damara people resettled on 223 commercial farms once owned by whites.<\/p>\n

Extensive research showed the Damaraland experiment to be a failure. Yet the findings of that research do not seem to have influenced our current resettlement policy.<\/p>\n

This mix of legislation represents a one-step-forward and two-steps-backward scenario.<\/p>\n

THE WAY FORWARD<\/p>\n

My point is that without expunging apartheid-era legislation and updating our policies to respond to current problems, we may never successfully tackle our many development challenges sustainably.<\/p>\n

Colonial rule deprived Namibians of land rights and access to natural resources.<\/p>\n

Tenure security (the rights of individuals and groups to be protected against forcible evictions) was denied to indigenous Namibians.<\/p>\n

The apartheid colonial regime prohibited natives from exercising freehold tenure (outright ownership of their land).<\/p>\n

Instead, it institutionalised freehold tenure as a special preserve of the white settlers. It deprived native Namibians of their rights to live in cities freely.<\/p>\n

It is evident that institutionalised land dispossession was systematic. This means we need to find a methodical and systematic solution to resolve its consequences.<\/p>\n

The Namibian government has been trying, but they can do better.<\/p>\n

The land question has changed since independence. Some issues that did not receive much attention, especially during the first land conference, have become part of current discussions.<\/p>\n

One is the emphasis on ancestral land claims which were not entertained after independence. It is now a hotly debated issue in the country. This trend indicates that the land question in Namibia is evolving.<\/p>\n

RESTITUTION<\/p>\n

The unequal distribution of freehold and privately owned land is testament that colonialism did not end with independence.<\/p>\n

To make matters worse, restorative justice has not been instilled in our socio-political system.<\/p>\n

Responses to the land question focus on redistribution while evading restitution.<\/p>\n

Land redistribution (providing the disadvantaged and the poor with access to land for residential and productive purposes) is a necessity because the decolonisation of Namibia will be incomplete without land restitution.<\/p>\n

Land restitution entails the redistribution of power (in this case, economic empowerment) back to indigenous Namibians.<\/p>\n

Redistribution is important. However, restitution is vital because it involves more than merely giving land to indigenous Namibians. It includes compensating them economically for losses incurred because of colonial and apartheid-era dispossessions.<\/p>\n

It is evident that measures put in place to ensure ongoing land reform through land redistribution have not been very successful.<\/p>\n

Therefore, I suggest that the government adopt the practice of land restitution to restore justice and empower previously disadvantaged Namibians.<\/p>\n

* Laina Alexander is a research assistant (land administration) in the Department of Land and Property Sciences at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust). The views expressed in this article are entirely her own<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. NAMIBIA’S COLONIAL and apartheid history has left our generation with multifaceted impressions on the role of land. Apartheid has created structural legacies that make many of us believe that owning, occupying, and using land is emblematic of freedom. It has affected how we view the land. Our history of genocide has had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":24634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,8,16],"tags":[234,236,233],"class_list":["post-24635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","category-homepage-english","category-twitter","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-namibia","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy a Rethink of the Land Question is Critical in Namibia - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"NAMIBIA'S COLONIAL and apartheid history has left our generation with multifaceted impressions on the role of land. 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