China, Namibia: Chinese Want Land for Tobacco

Source from:  The Namibian (na) 03/08/2015

Government is in the process of leasing 10 000 hectares of Namibian land in Liselo, Zambezi region, to a Chinese company to grow tobacco.

Namibia Oriental Tobacco CC which has Ng Yung listed as the only director of the company plans to use the land to grow tobacco and maize.

The Namibian could however not establish the period of the lease agreement, and an official from the Ministry of Land and Resettlement said he does not know how long the lease period was.

On Monday, the ministry ran a public notice announcing the names of the seven applicants who applied to receive leaseholds.

The Zambezi Communal Land Board is inviting parties who have objections regarding the applications to lodge such within a period of seven days.

Yesterday, suspended Swapo youth leader Job Amupanda issued a statement saying he, together with other two youth leaders - George Kambala and Dimbulukeni Nauyoma - will make a submission to government objecting to the awarding of the land to the Chinese. Amupanda, Kambala and Nauyoma started the Affirmative Repositioning movement which seeks to help address the land issue in the country.

The three formed the group last year, saying they want to build their own houses because they were tired of paying high rentals.

They were also responding to media reports on the City of Windhoek's alleged dishing out of land to relatives and 'special' members of society.

They have since been suspended from the Swapo Party for grabbing land in the suburb of Kleine Kuppe in Windhoek.

Amupanda yesterday claimed that certain politicians are involved in the current Zambezi land lease deal.

Amongst the five listed objections, Amupanda said: "It cannot be correct that our most fertile land is used to produce drugs and not food."

He said it is also alarming that government is distributing land to foreigners even in villages, adding "that tobacco contains nicotine, correlated with a dangerous condition called schizophrenia".

Amupanda said although government speaks of banning foreign ownership, "politicians are awarding land to foreigners under the table".

"We take this principled action on realising that our country is speedily and scandalously being sold while the future generation is tricked into singing songs and clapping hands, waiting for a fictional year called '2030' where all our problems will apparently be solved; probably by ghosts only known to the political elite," he concluded.

Other applications for leaseholds are from Rector Matengu Nkando who wants to use the 2,8 ha land in Liselo for a hospitality resort.

Siyama Victor Kamado wants 2,116 ha in Kongola for a shop and rest house; Tshego's Lodge & Campsite CC applied for 5,5 ha in Kongola for lodge and camp-site development.

Furthermore, Katima Milling & Packaging CC applied for 9 027m2 in Liselo for maize and mahangu packaging; the University of Namibia applied for 2,518 ha for a game reserve, while Kasheshe and Bhamjee applied for 9,7 ha in Liselo for poultry/ chicken farming and processing.

The 10 000 scale of tobacco production is expected to provide jobs to an estimated 3 000 workers (25% permanent and 75% seasonal). Water for irrigating the farm will be sourced from the Zambezi River.

Namibia Oriental Tobacco is a closed corporation registered in 2005. It is the sole agency for the Hongyunhonghe Tobacco (Group) Co for tobacco products in the African market.

Hongyunhonghe Tobacco is a Chinese state-owned enterprise and is currently China's largest and Asia's top cigarette producer as well as the world's fifth largest tobacco company. The tobacco will be transported by road to Walvis Bay for export to China. Enditem