Harare — Six local land evaluators will on Sunday leave for Namibia to assist authorities in that country evaluate expropriated land, as Zimbabwe's land reform continues to gain respect in the region.

The secondment of the land evaluators follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two governments in which Namibia sought assistance from Zimbabwe in the field of land evaluation and surveying as it embarked on land reform.

Namibian ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Ndali-Che Kemati said apart from evaluating expropriated farms for the purposes of paying compensation for developments on the properties, the local team would also offer training services.

"We need expertise to help us determine the level of compensation we will pay for the farms that we have acquired. In this regard, we believe Zimbabwean professionals can really help us with issues of compensation."

The Namibian government expropriated eight farms in February and it wants to deal with the issues of compensation and conclude the matter immediately.

"We had wanted the evaluators like yesterday because we want to deal with the matter immediately. We have just started implementing our land reform and in that regard we have a lot to learn from the Zimbabwean experience," said Mr Kemati.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cde Joseph Made said the evaluators were expected to leave for Namibia on Sunday. The ministry has worked jointly with the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing on the matter.

"It is indeed an important exercise they are going to undertake. We have had our land reform programme and certainly we have also dealt with issues of compensation which the Namibians can learn from us," he said.

Zimbabwe has implemented a successful land reform programme in which thousands of the landless majority have been empowered with the important resource.