Grappling with land reform in pastoral Namibia

This article discusses the history of land reform in Namibia. The article indicates that at the time of writing (September 1991), it is still too early to comment on the implementation of land reform in Namibia, as it has not yet begun in earnest. Land policy has yet to be detailed and ratified, the institutions for implementing land reform and settlement programmes have to be appointed and in some cases created de novo, and large sums of money have to be found. This paper is therefore addressed, as its title implies, to the process of grappling with the issues of land reform in a largely pastoral setting, in preparation for what is already perceived to be a long and difficult process of implementation.