Within ITC's capacity building efforts in the region, a seminar was organised at ITC on 21 May on Land Reform in Southern Africa.

Reforming the skewed land ownership patterns across the region followed the implosion of Apartheid in Southern Africa in the early nineties. The massive land transfers foreseen in this Land Reform require well-informed land managing organisations. And as land is the asset to be transferred, speedy and comprehensive land information is an essential management tool for Land Reform.

Apartheid also implied for the majority of the citizens in South Africa and Namibia an inferior education, the so-called "Bantu" education, resulting in the extreme scarcity of qualified personnel to staff the land managing institutions.

In 1994 Ministry of Lands in Namibia (MLRR) entered into a project partnership with ITC for training of their technical staff. In 1996 the Polytechnic of Namibia joint the partnership as regional training provider. Currently the annual number of students in the various Land Management courses is about 100. Since the start of the series of MLRR/ITC training projects over 250 persons have graduated with a national certificate or national diploma. A critical mass of technical expertise has been generated with a substantial impact on the Land Reform implementation.

Hilton Toolo, Director Land Reform Implementation, Department of Land Affairs presenting the issue for South Africa. On his left, Sam Kapiye, Deputy Director, Directorate of Land reform, Ministry of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (MLRR) from Namibia and Hein van Gils (ITC).

In 1998 the Department of Lands in South Africa showed their interest in the MLRR/ITC/Polytechnic of Namibia partnership as model for educating a critical mass of their staff. The CEAD was the willing and able provider of the customized education in Land Information Management. The accredited Master Degree course in Land Information Management started in 2000 for the first time.

The Land Information Management courses at the Polytechnic of Namibia and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) together form a seamless set of courses ranging from certificate (undergraduate) to master degree. And yes South African land managers study at the Polytechnic of Namibia and the first Namibian is indeed enrolled in the South African Master course in Land Information Management.

The key-note speakers at the Seminar were top decision-makers and leading educators in the Land Reform in southern Africa, that is the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Lands (Namibia), the DDG of the Department of Lands in South Africa, the Director Land Reform Implementation (South Africa), the DD Land Reform (Namibia), the Rector of the Polytechnic of Namibia, the Director of CEAD (University of Natal) and the ITC rector. The first block of seminar presentations summarized the current policies, targets and trends in Land Reform in both South Africa and Namibia. Subsequently the educational providers in the second block presented the inputs and outputs of the on-going capacity building in Land Management (Namibia) respectively Land Information Management (South Africa) for Land reform by the project partnership.

Dr. Tjama Tjivikua, Rector of the Polytechnic of Namibia on Capacity Building in Land Management in Namibia

The two panels after each blocks of presentations generated lively discussions with broad participation from the audience in the ITC auditorium. The statement by an ITC PhD fellow from Zimbabwe generated an enlightening debate on the "Willing-Seller-Willing- Buyer" principle of the Land Reform in South Africa, Namibia, and early on in Zimbabwe. The seminar could experience first hand the unwavering dedication and passion underlying the Land Reform.