PRESS STATEMENT ON THE LAND ISSUE AND THE AFFIRMATIVE REPOSITIONING MOVEMENT, ISSUED BY THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, ON JULY 17, 2015

The Office of the President would like to re-affirm its willingness to engage and dialogue with the leaders of the Affirmative Repositioning Movement. The actions taken by the SWAPO Party Politburo to expel its members, due to ill-discipline, have no bearing on Government's position to engage on the pressing land and decent shelter issue faced by our country.

The demand for each Namibian to have decent shelter is a legitimate demand. The threat to commit criminal and/or violent acts in the pursuit of this basic right is not legitimate. The Namibian Police are to be commended for re-assuring Namibians and investors that Namibia will continue to enforce its constitutional obligation to defend property rights and maintain law and order. Namibia is regarded as a shining beacon of hope due to our robust governance and democratic architecture. The Fundamental rights and Freedoms of Namibians are entrenched in the Namibian Constitution and the Office of the President calls upon the AR Movement and its supporters to exercise their rights in a manner that shows understanding of the rights of others and the duties of the State.

The peace enjoyed in Namibia was fought for against an oppressive regime which had no legitimacy from the people of Namibia. The Government of the Republic of Namibia is democratically elected for five years and within the four months of its inauguration, has taken every reasonable action to ensure an implementable action plan for land delivery. In this context, the deadline for land delivery of 31 July 2015 is ether ill-conceived or insincere.

The Office of the President is confident that the 94 recommendations presented by the Cabinet Sub-Committee on land to amend laws and policies will fundamentally change the structure of land delivery and availability for Namibians for the better. Government is hopeful that the envisaged dialogue will result in the agreement or improvement of these recommendations as the focus of Government is to ensure that the best recommendations are implemented as expediently as possible.

As a newly elected Government of four months, the Office of the President wishes to assure the nation that Government is serious about providing long term, holistic solutions in an expedited and targeted manner. The land and housing delivery issue is multifaceted and requires a holistic approach to ensure appropriate solutions for all Namibians. This approach enjoys the full attention of the President and requires the support of the nation.