Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) MP Vipuakuje Muharukua tabled a motion to address stock theft in communities and assess the effectiveness of current legislative measures.
The motion outlines the evolution of farming as a Namibian value; it also discusses the prescriptive nature of the current regulatory framework against the objective of protecting stock.
The motion lobbies MPs as a source of primary law to assess the extent to which stock theft shakes and destabilises the foundation of people's livelihoods.
Muharukua said prescriptive regulations laid down to reduce crime have not been adequately tackled for over 30 years.
"It seeks, however, to examine the view that the domination of the prescriptive regulations in the form of the strings of stock theft primary legislation since 1990 that are universally applied have not sufficiently mitigated the crime and that measures of self-regulation and meta-regulation are what are essential to tackle stock theft."
He further raised concerns about inflation in livestock quality, which he said leaves farmers whose stock is stolen unassisted.
'Our farming is now far from where we started. Livestock quality has increased with prices. Bull rams are fetching record prices. Farmers are buying livestock across national borders. The cost of farming, climatic difficulties, and the cost of farming land can simply not allow the farmer to continue losing stock without helpful regulation."
He stressed the importance of recognising farmers who use diverse methods, and the universal approach to the current legal framework is among the major reasons why legislation fails to efficiently address offenders.
He called for adjustments to the current prescribed regulations to enhance the security of farmers stock and property.
"It is therefore argued that we need to introduce measures of meta-regulation and self-regulation to our current prescriptive and responsive regulation. Whether self-regulation is by mandate, sanction, or completely voluntary basis, it will elevate the farmer's role from a mere spectator of court processes to one of ownership of the collective security of the farmer's property."
Contributing to the motion, Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Peter Katjavivi weighed in on farmers' noted concerns.
"It's no longer a question of stealing; it's a question of taking advantage of other people—robbing, actually. Some of these people are actually armed. It is becoming out of control. It is also a question of training the workers on the farm to realise that their livelihood depends on the success of the farmer; without that, you are likely to join the cue of the people who are receiving subsidies."