Land does not multiply
Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe, a Zambian politician, once warned his fellow countrymen that they should jealously guard their land because God has stopped creating countries.
His sentiments reflect the significance the forefathers attached to safeguarding the Godgiven natural resource - land. This warning also applies to inhabitants of the two Kavango regions, who in recent years are witnessing the indiscriminate sale or illegal occupation of land to outsiders for a dollar.
Inhabitants are worried that with the growing population and urbanisation, there is a veritable danger to render future generations landless. The heedless sale of land has an ultimate effect on future generations, who may be relegated to squatters in their own regions. It is saddening to witness the rate at which the valued resource is being unleashed into the hands of outsiders with impunity, and in most cases at giveaway prices. Apart from using money, outsiders are using various tactics to claim a stake to the land in the two regions.
Traditional authority fingered
Reports suggest that traditional authorities are partly blamed for the sale of communal land. This is indeed unacceptable and an act of egomania since it is perpetrated by those entrusted with the administration of land on behalf of subjects. By nature of their position in society, traditional leaders are expected to be above reproach, and as such conduct themselves in a manner that preserves the honour of their title.
As leaders who preside over subjects, traditional leaders are expected to put the interests of their community before their own. It is shameful that traditional leaders who are supposed to guard this precious resource are being fingered in illegal deals. They are now seeing land as a lucrative business to fatten their pockets. Apart from traditional leaders, there are some ordinary individuals who are also guilty of this act, and have resorted to satisfying their selfish desires at the expense of other communal land users.
It is imperative to point out that while others are grabbing land from the two regions, very few, if any, from the two regions are acquiring land elsewhere. There is a need to transcend the flawed economic determinist view currently in land debates that deny poor people the right to land on the premise that they would not be able to productively use it. For any African, land is everything. Depriving one of land means robbing them of their personhood, being and identity - in other words, their full humanity.
Meaning of land
While contemporary debates on land redistribution in Namibia always privilege the production aspect, this, regrettably, is due to a lack of understanding about what land means to diverse natives. It stretches beyond the merely economic, although the productive use of land is paramount. The departure point, therefore, should be that particular native`s perspective that enables a broader definition and understanding of land as linked to being and identity. Land is an emotive issue to many Africans, and it is no different to Kavangos as it plays a major historical significance for the people. It lies at the centre of their agricultural activities, natural resources and other land-based activities that are cardinal to their livelihoods, as well as ensuring food security and social-economic development for future generations. Others in Namibia might view the usage of land differently because when they see vast unoccupied land, they think it is free land ready to be occupied. But for Kavangos, that land is meant for other usages. Free unoccupied land for Kavangos is normally reserved for future generations, grazing, crop fields, firewood, building materials and fruit.
The effect
Selling communal land to private owners normally affects the poor as their interests differ from those of local residents who rely on or relied oncommonage.Theynormallyconsidertheland as private property and fence it off, impacting the livelihoods of ordinary people, as the fences are literally cutting off the villagers` access to water resources, roads and other villages, including enclosing their mahangu fields and grazing areas. The fencing does not only affect access, but also prohibits poor people from accessing firewood, thatching grass, grazing and even the veld food that the poorest members of the traditional communities depend on for their livelihood.
Elders in the two regions will tell you that the notion of communalism was accepted and practised widely for the benefit of all villagers. For them, the land was held commonly, and could not be bought or sold. The selling or illegal acquisition of land in the two regions can be compared to colonization, where colonisers came to Africa to deprive natives of their land through money or bribery. Colonisation of the land signifies land settlement by organised groups, but the organisation may be of the most diverse kinds. And sometimes the term colonisation is loosely used to mean the occupation of land by individuals who come to a region new to them, even if they come one by one.
The late archbishop Desmond Tutu said when the missionaries came to Africa, they had the Bible and the natives had the land. They said, “Let us pray.” Natives closed their eyes. After opening their eyes, they had the Bible, and missionaries had the land. The same thing will happen as after selling the land, the elites or non-elites with money will have the land, while poor people`s children will be landless. Unfortunately, some traditional authority leaders are failing to pass the test of the missionary past, and fail to learn from the mistakes made by their ancestors during the missionary years.
Future generations critical
It is high time for those who are or were fortunate to acquire land, be it ancestral land or a farm through the traditional authority, to guard it jealously for future generations. It is also time for those ageing who are no more energetic to manage the acquired farm to identify one of the impeccable children or relatives to take over instead of selling the farm. Traditional leaders must wake up and start thinking of where their subjects will find land after the next 10 years, instead of dishing out land left and right to outsiders. With the little land remaining, I urge the traditional authority hierarchy to prioritise inhabitants when allocating land without looking at their family or socio-economic backgrounds, but rather at their ability to utilise the land. Failing to do that will result in regrets because, by the time they wake up, the land will be out of their hands. Money only lasts for days, but land lasts forever. Without land, there will be no food, no place to live on, no grazing for animals, livelihoods will suffer, humanity trampled and the poverty tag continues. Therefore, customary laws must be stiffened to ensure that all those found sacrificing the future generations of these two regions on the altar of self-expediency are dealt with. Be careful of the motive outsiders are having in acquiring land in the two Kavango regions. Please don`t be selfish and only think about yourself. The population is growing, while the land is becoming a scarce commodity and not multiplying.