Browsing by Author "Chatu, Scholastica"
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- ItemThe perceptions and experiences of land relocation in the Bukalo area(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03) Chatu, Scholastica; Lange, Junay; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.ENGLISH SUMMARY: The imbalances of Namibia’s landownership which existed before its independence where the minority (whites) owned a larger portion of land as compared to the majority (blacks), was addressed by the new government. As a result, the black population has been given the right to own land. It is however important to note that land redistribution in Namibia had been at a slow pace even after 24 years of independence. Land imbalances caused by political resistance resulted in the forceful power over the landless and dispossessed citizens of Namibia. There was a lack of independent land assessments and a monitoring programme, as well as an absence of baseline data to assess resettlement. After independence, in 1990, the government of Namibia promised to transfer land to the landless and it was made part of The Constitution stating that such land “will never be taken from the landowners without compensation”. National compensation guidelines for communal land were therefore endorsed for the relocation process. The responsibility of land allocation is vested in the traditional authorities of Namibia. The study focuses on the perceptions and experiences of land relocation in the Bukalo area. The study aims at finding out whether the people of Bukalo were satisfied with the compensation received for their properties as they relocated and whether they were satisfied with the relocation process. For the purpose of this study, it was hypothesized that: H1= the majority perceived the government’s compensation on land relocation to be unfair, H2= the majority did not want to move out of the area and H3= the majority did not see the relocation as beneficial. The objectives of the study was to examine the literature on land relocation and to evaluate the perceptions of land relocation by people in the Bukalo area - in other words to reveal how the beneficiaries are adapting to the relocation, to understand the achievements and shortcomings of land relocation in the Bukalo area, to find ways and means to address the anomalies for future relocations elsewhere, and to inform policy formulation with regard to future relocations. A mini survey, questionnaires and interviews were used to gather data. The relocation process at Bukalo has been tangled with challenges, such as lack of information and coordination, which led to the relocates making uninformed decisions that they regretted. Cases gathered through the literature indicated that many land relocations were not successful due to a lack of funds. Bukalo case was not an exception in that there was a lack of funds to compensate the relocates who had to wait for many years before they were relocated. People were also not informed about the compensation prices used and the relocation process, especially the clause that stated that the affected communities had the right to keep two plots from their ancestral land. The relocatees were not involved in the whole process and felt the government chased them from their ancestral land. Government realized the need of developing Bukalo into a town. There was a need therefore to compensate people prior to such developments, since people were set for relocation. The intention was to bring the services closer to the Bukalo people and improve their living conditions. However, it is evident through the findings that the people were not willing to relocate not only in Bukalo but also elsewhere in Namibia due to unfair compensation procedures. Promises made before relocations were never met. A number of recommendations are provided to improve the implementation of the relocation programme and to correct anomalies for future relocations. The recommendations provided could contribute towards resolving policy imbalances with regard to land relocation and compensation in Namibia. It is therefore important to realize that the driving hypothesis of this study was met as it assumed that the “majority perceive the government’s compensation on land relocation to be unfair”.