Namibia set to follow South Africa’s lead with their own land expropriation plans

Namibia President Hage Geingob vowed Monday to push ahead with land redistribution, echoing the government of neighbouring South Africa, where the issue has become a fierce political battleground.

Namibia, which was ruled by colonial Germany and then apartheid South Africa until 1990, has large swathes of agricultural land, as well as major diamond and platinum mining industries. Geingob said, at the opening of a national conference in Windhoek to discuss new land policy.

Why Namibia is pursuing land expropriation

“Many Namibians were driven off their productive land. The fundamental issue is the inequality. We also share a burning land issue and a racialised distribution of land resources with South Africa.

“This comes from a common history of colonial dispossession. What we also agree to is that the status quo will not be allowed to continue.” – Hage Geingob.

Geinob added that “careful consideration should be given to expropriation”, but urged that the process remain peaceful. The conference has been boycotted by several traditional leaders, civil society organisations and political parties for allegedly having predetermined outcomes.

Traditional leaders have called on the government to resettle people on land that belonged to their ancestors.

Land expropriation in South Africa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who faces elections in 2019, has said expropriating farms without compensating their owners would “undo a grave historical injustice” against the black majority during colonialism and the apartheid era.

Last week, Ramaphosa attended the UN’s General Assembly, where he spent most of his time fielding the land question. He made guarantees that it would only be done in a way that protected the economy and food production, but his silver tongue failed him on Wednesday.

The President came under fire for saying that “there are no farm murders in South Africa” during an interview with Bloomberg. This, despite the fact that 62 farmers were murdered in the last financial year. He later backtracked, explaining that he was trying to debunk a Donald Trump tweet.