Chiefs fear loss of ancestral land in land reforms

Patience Makwele Traditional leaders from Kavango East and Kavango West say government-driven communal land reforms could weaken customary authority and increase pressure on ancestral land. The concerns were raised during consultations between the Chiefs’ Council and the parliamentary standing committee on urban and rural development and land reform. Traditional leaders said growing pressure on communal land, illegal fencing, weak enforcement and delays in land administration are creating uncertainty in rural communities already affected by population growth and shrinking grazing areas.

They also warned that formal land registration could lead to increased land sales and leave future generations without access to ancestral land. Members of the Hambukushu Traditional Authority said the consultations came at a time when communal land governance is facing increasing pressure across northern Namibia. Chiefs’ council member Dagobert Mukoya said the government policies promoting land registration are clashing with traditional customs that have guided communal land ownership for generations.

“Our customary practices do not allow fencing and registration of communal land in the manner the government wants it done. There is now a clear conflict between customary practices and statutory law,” Mukoya said.