THE government has struck a deal with Affirmative Repositioning movement leader Job Amupanda and has undertaken to embark on a programme to service 200 000 plots of urban land countrywide, starting next week.

Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila announced the agreement today after a marathon meeting with leaders of the movement at State House.

The agreement was reached a few days ahead of the 31 July deadline that had been set by the land movement for the government to make available urban land for housing.

The State House meeting was chaired by President Hage Geingob and attended by vice president Nickey Iyambo, the Prime Minister, presidential affairs minister Frans Kapofi, urban and rural development minister Sophia Shaningwa, lands minister Utoni Nujoma, security minister Charles Namoloh, and police chief Sebastian Ndeitunga.

“On a pilot project basis, government will start by servicing identified land in the following towns: Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Oskakati,” Kuugongelwa-Amadhila announced after the meeting.

It was also announced that the government would immediately embark on a programme to service 200 000 plots of land countrywide, and that the period between 29 July and 5 August would be used to clear urban land identified to be serviced.

The deal struck between the government and the youth movement is expected to mean that the planned forceful land occupation by the Affirmative Repositioning movement from next Friday would be called off.

Amupanda declined to say whether the land occupation - characterised as land grabbing by some people - was being called off. He referred the media to the statement made by the government, and said a statement on behalf of the movement would be made later.

President Hage Geingob, who chaired the meeting that lasted for 10 hours today, described it as fruitful and said the youth were polite and not disrespectful as others might have expected.