Russian billionaire Rashid Sardarov bought four additional farms outside Windhoek, spending more than N$43 million (€2.6 mln). This came to pass despite a public outcry about the sale of land to foreign absentee landlords.
Sardarov bought the farms measuring 17,000 hectares on 28 September 2018, donated them to the state, and will now lease them from the government for 99 years. The businessman wrapped up this transaction about a week before national leaders met in Windhoek and complained about foreign ownership of land.
Sardarov bought the farms through his Switzerland-based company, Comsar Properties SA, to add to the 28,000 hectares he bought in 2013 at Dordabis, south-east of Windhoek. His Namibian lawyer, Sisa Namandje, last week confirmed that the Russian had bought the farms, adding that he transferred them to the government as part of the agreement with the state.
According to allafrica.com, the Russian approached the land reform ministry last November, offering a N$24 million donation to the state, in exchange for permission to buy the four farms from private owners. Regulations state that the government has the first option to buy agricultural or commercial farms put up for sale by private individuals.
