1st Edition 2007 - University of Namibia

Law Student urges Parliament
to Strengthen
LANDS BOARDS
Legislation
A lack of a clear cut
mandate of Communal Land
Boards activities as well as
a lack of adequate resources
are some of the stumbling
blocks hindering the
performance of these bodies.
Pic left: Julia Mushimba (right) captured here with one of her subjects during her research in
the Kavango region.
Presenting her
fi ndings on a
research she did
on Traditional
Authorities and
Biodiversity in
the Kavango
region, University
of Namibia fourth
year Masters of
Law student, Julia
Mushimba, also noted that the Directorate of
Lands does not have much powers. This she
says makes it diffi cult for it to take action
against anyone seen to be improperly using
land. “People get warnings but not much
UNAM Forum 11
is done. There is a lack of enforcement of
policies.”
While the Land Board and Ministry of
Lands need one another in their day-to-day
operations, Mushimba noted that they largely
operated as two separate entities.
Mushimba also spoke to representatives of
the Kavango Tradition Authority and some
Oshiwambo speaking farmers over the
latters’ eviction from the Kavango region.
She told the session that some of the farmers
have been living in the Kavango Region
for about twenty years. Chief Mpasi Sitentu
of the Kavango maintained that he had
only given permission to eight Oshiwambo
speaking farmers to settle in the area. The
eight apparently invited cousins and friends,
who came in with their livestock.
Her colleague Ray Rukoro who researched
the Ovitoto area expressed concern
with what he termed as a high level of
overgrazing in the area. He highlighted the
non-recognition of the Traditional Authority in
the area by government, as well as the nonrecognition
of Ovitoto as a communal area in
the communal land act as some key factors
hindering the protection of bio-diversity in the
area.