WINDHOEK, Oct 9 (AFP) - The Namibian government will expropriate 192 farms belonging to foreigners over the next five years, outgoing President Sam Nujoma said Saturday.
Speaking at the launch of the ruling South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) election manifesto in a Windhoek stadium, Nujoma said land redistribution had been "a priority among other priorities" of his party's government since independence in 1990.
"During the next five years the SWAPO Party Government will expropriate 192 farms belonging to foreign landlords in order to resettle more people and enable them to become productive and proud land owners", Nujoma told a cheering crowd of party members.
"Following the 2002 party congress resolution, the annual amount of 20 million Namibian dollars (three million dollars, 2.5 million euros) for the governement to acquire land in commercial farming areas to resettle thousands of our people who need land, has been increased to 50 million Namibian dollars annually (since this year)", the 75-year old head of state added.
He told the crowd that his government had bought 746,583 hectares of land so far, resettling 6,256 families.
The SWAPO election manifesto, which was released at the rally, stated that even more funds would be allocated to buy farms, if SWAPO wins next month's national elections.
"A SWAPO party government will endevour to ensure that the current 50 million Naimbian dollars allocated to acquire land for landless Namibians is increased to at least 100 million per annum to accelerate land reform", the document said.
To obtain an equitable land redistribution process, "a SWAPO Party Government will consider expropriating the 192 farms belonging to foreign absentee landlords with an accumulative size of 1,268 911 hectares within the framework of the law", the ruling party's election manifesto stated.