The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development has directed the |Khomanin Traditional Authority to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform regarding the alleged issue of a dubious land sale of Baumgartsbrunn land.
The |Khomanin Traditional Authority has given the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development an ultimatum of 10 days to intervene in the conflict around the transfer of 300 hectares of farmland at Baumgartsbrunn.
The land, they say, was donated by the Bleks family to the traditional authority, for which transfer documents are available.
The community called a meeting of all parties involved at the farm on Thursday.
The parties invited to the meeting were the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, Manny Hills Home Owners Association, Helmut Bleks Foundation and the |Khomanin Traditional Authority.
The Ministry, however, did not attend the meeting, telling the NBC that they are not the responsible body for farmland and directed the traditional authority to take up the issue with the Ministry responsible for land redistribution.
The meeting was necessitated after it had come to the knowledge of the |Khomanin Traditional Authority that the land was sold for residential housing development.
They said the farm has since been divided into 138 residential portions and, on the other side, is a primary school, including 300 hectares donated by the Helmut Bleks Foundation, where the |Khomanin people are currently staying.
The Helmuth Bleks Foundation donated the land to the entire |Khomanin community, but Matues Blek, the son of the previous owner, now claims it was meant only for four farm-working families linked to the Baumgartsbrunn-||Ganaxas farm.
"These were the four families that my late father granted, and in that time gave living rights to the farm at Baumgartsbrunn; this was unanimously agreed on, leading to the land treaty of 2009. So it was not specifically mentioned that these four families would be named in the treaty because it was quite clear that the four families had worked for a long time with my father, Helmuth Bleks," said Bleks.
It is reported that within a month of the treaty, the land was transferred to John Cuff and later sold to a developer – without the community's knowledge.
Francois Brandt is the developer for the Home Owners Association. He said that "According to the court order, the land was donated to the Homeowners Association. We hear your side, and I hope you hear our side. We must find a way to engage one another better."
The |Khomanin Traditional Authority's Gaos Juliene Gawa!nas rejected Matues Blek's claims, insisting that the 300 hectares of land were donated to the |Khomanin people.
"During the other meetings where Mr Bleks was also present, the whole Khomanin community was present when the land treaty was amended and during the time of the negotiations and the treaty being written and finalised."
Gaos Gawan!nas further announced her intention to return to the government to formally request that the land be purchased for the landless |Khomanin people.
When contacted for comment, the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, James Sankwasa, told NBC News that the community had misdirected the letter, as it does not fall under his office.
He explained that he had been out of the office for the past two weeks and had not received the invitation.
However, Sankwasa said that, upon learning about the issue, he advised the community to instead address their concerns to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Land Reform.