Namibia country report

farm. Consequently, the land allocated to the beneficiary is underutilised or lies idle. Thereis always the wish to return to the land again one day if enough money is generated throughtemporary employment in order to buy livestock, but this is really a ‘distant dream’ as thebeneficiary is unable to generate enough money to return.The case of Frederick exemplifies the ‘reversing’ trajectory. Aged 53 at the time of thesurvey, Frederick had settled on the farm Jakkalsdraai in Hardap in 1994. Before that he wasa farm worker on a commercial farm in the region. The farm owner died and his son tookover, but he and Frederick did not get along, so Frederick decided to look for another place.He heard about Jakkalsdraai when he went to the MLR office in Mariental, and was advisedto apply for resettlement there as it was the only farm available for resettlement in Hardapat that time. Three to four months later the Ministry informed him that his application forresettlement was successful and he moved to the farm immediately with his 54 goats.When he arrived at Jakkalsdraai, the Ministry showed him the two camps it had allocatedto him, amounting to 445 ha. Thirteen years later, Frederick did not have a single goat left.Many of them died due to drought. In 2002 his wife took ill and he had to look after herin Mariental. On returning to the farm, he found that the rest of his goats had been stolen.Since then he had lived in Mariental where he worked as a casual builder and gardener. Onoccasion he went back to Jakkalsdraai to see how things were going there. He still wishedto return to the farm permanently, but first needed to earn enough money to buy goats. Histwo camps were unoccupied and no one was using them. He did not tell the Ministry thathe was not living on the farm, fearing that the camps would be taken away from him.5.5.3 The ‘pensioner’ trajectoryEmployed part-time farmer or farmer worker in a communal area retiresApplies for resettlement and farms part time as a pensioner on a FURS farmEngages minimally in farming activitiesThe ‘pensioner’ trajectory starts with an employed part-time farmer or a farm worker oncommunal land nearing retirement age. The second and third stages involve the personapplying to become a resettlement farmer, and then farming part time as a pensioner, butwith minimal engagement in farming activities due to not having sufficient capital to expandthese activities.The case of Jeremiah exemplifies the ‘pensioner’ trajectory. Aged 64 at the time of thesurvey, Jeremiah was born in Aroab in today’s Karas Region where he worked for most ofhis life for the postal service. In 2007 he lived in Mariental as a pensioner, and had beenfarming at Jakkalsdraai on a part-time basis since 1996. He had waited three months forthe MLR in Mariental to approve his application.Livelihoods Section after B ● Land 5. Farm Reform: Unit Resettlement Namibia country Scheme report (FURS) (2010) ● 115