Minister of Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Land Reform, Mac Albert Hengari, has announced that Cabinet has developed a strategy for the removal of the veterinary cordon fence, commonly known as the red line, which he will soon present in Parliament.
“We will also come to this House because Cabinet has a strategy in mind in terms of removing the red line,” Hengari told lawmakers this week.
The red line, which separates northern communal areas from commercial farming zones in central and southern Namibia, has long been a contentious issue, with critics arguing that it stifles economic growth and perpetuates inequality in the livestock sector.
Hengari’s statement comes shortly after the National Assembly approved a report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration recommending the removal of the red line.
In a further development, the minister revealed that his ministry had been directed to re-evaluate Namibia’s resettlement programme, which has faced ongoing criticism for inefficiencies and a lack of equitable land redistribution.
“Cabinet has taken a decision that my ministry needs to develop an ancestral land policy that will inform our resettlement programme,” Hengari said.
According to government data, N$2.4 billion has been spent between 1990 and 2023 on acquiring 3.4 million hectares of land – equivalent to 571 farms – under the Land Reform Programme. A total of 5,458 beneficiaries have been resettled over the same period.
