Justicia Shipena
The removal of illegal fences in the Ohangwena region is expected to cost N$500 000.
The deputy director of land reform, Paulus Amaambo, revealed this during a presentation at a regional councillors’ orientation workshop held in Eenhana on Tuesday.
Amaambo said the full amount is to be recovered from those who erected them.
He said at least 22 illegal fences put up by communal farmers without the consent of the Communal Land Board will be removed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform.
Amaambo said contractors have already been appointed and will begin the work after completing similar operations in Omaheke and Kavango.
He said the illegal fences are located in an area stretching from Omaruru towards the Kavango border and up to the Oshikoto boundary.
He added that the land is legally designated for farming only and not for settlement.
“That area is not allowed for people to settle there. It is only designated for farming,” Amaambo said.
He explained that land allocation in the region must respect existing legal rights, including registered community forests. He said customary land rights cannot be allocated in such areas.
“A community forest is already registered. If we allocate customary land rights there, we would be allocating a right on top of another right and that is why we cannot go there,” he said.
Amaambo outlined a three-step process for dealing with illegal fencing, noting that land users are first engaged through what he described as semi-pacification, followed by a formal instruction to remove the fence.
He warned that refusal to comply would lead to enforcement action.
“If a person removes the fence voluntarily, it ends there. If the board removes the fence, the person will pay the cost. Criminal charges will be laid, the person will be imprisoned, and the person will also pay a fine,” Amaambo said.
He added that further political and administrative measures linked to land reform will be presented to councillors as the process continues.
The three-day orientation workshop for regional councillors will end on Thursday.
The workshop is aimed at strengthening leadership and governance by improving understanding of legislation, council operations, and roles and responsibilities, while aligning service delivery priorities in the region.
At the same event, Ohangwena governor Kadiva Hamutumwa expressed that a culture of self-sabotage hinders development and demands immediate attention.
“We must do away with the culture of self-sabotage. Most of the time, we are very good at sabotaging ourselves, and when we do that, we cause our own downfall,” Hamutumwa said.
She called on councillors to act with urgency, saying the country must work as if there is no tomorrow and approach duties with the seriousness of having only 24 hours to live.
Hamutumwa said leadership is about influence, service, delivery and urgency, and these values are needed to transform Namibia into what she describes as the “Singapore of Namibia”.
“It will not happen today. But the seeds we are sowing now will take us there, whether in 10 or 15 years. We must start sowing those seeds today, and we must do it in unity,” she said.
She stressed that politics should not interfere with service delivery, saying requests from offices such as the governor, chief regional officer or regional councillor must be implemented without delay.
“People on the ground do not eat politics. They eat bread and butter. Politics must be used properly to bring that bread and butter, but it must not stand in the way of work,” Hamutumwa said.
“The Namibian people are counting on us, individually and collectively, to deliver on that mandate,” she said.
She also urged regional leaders and officials to assert their influence at the centre of government in order to unlock funding and accelerate development.
She warned that weak engagement could lead to minimal budgets and stalled projects.
Hamutumwa called on the councillors to engage directly with national decision-makers.
She said stronger engagement would result in visible development, adding that service delivery requires leaders to be present in communities.
“The office does not serve people. Serving people is going on the ground, understanding their needs, and delivering,” she said.
