Namibian President Sam Nujoma has defended plans to take over foreigners’ land, telling the German newspaper Die Welt in an interview published on Monday: ”I want everyone of realise: every corner of Namibia is the property of the Namibian people.”
Affirming Windhoek would forcibly purchase land from foreign owners unwilling to sell, he said, ”German colonialists invaded Namibia between 1884 and 1915. They divided our land among themselves. They never bought the land.
”So it is the prerogative of the Namibian people to decide who the land belongs to.”
He said only Namibian citizens should be allowed to buy land. Asked about plans to forcibly purchase 192 rural properties held by absentee foreigners, he said, ”Yes, we will not allow foreigners who don’t live here to own land.”
Attacking white owners, he said, ”Stop your arrogance. We thought that when the Cold War ended all countries would work from then on for the common good of mankind. But if you whites stay so arrogant, we will definitely deal you a blow.”
Namibia’s government has recently sought to calm uproar among white farmers following Nujoma’s earlier threats.
Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab told Commonwealth secretary general Don McKinnon who visited Windhoek in September that the principle of land reform remained one of ”willing buyer, willing seller”, despite popular protest at the slow pace of sales. – Sapa-DPA