Lands and Resettlement Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba launched the provisional valuation roll of farms at Ongwediva on Wednesday. Owners of farms and plots have only 13 more working days to have a look at the list and object in writing to the valuation of the land. Instead of notifying the public via the media beforehand, Namibians were taken by surprise with advertisements placed in some papers on 1 September, informing the public that all objections must be submitted by 22 September already. The Valuation Court will sit from 8 November at the Windhoek Magistrate Court to scrutinise the objections. Some 13 000 farm names have been listed in three lists and only one copy of the lists is available at different offices countrywide.

In Windhoek people can have a look at the Deeds Office at 45 Mugabe Avenue, while the regional offices of the lands ministry at Keetmanshoop, Maltahöhe, Mariental, Rehoboth, Gobabis, Otjiwarongo, Khorixas, Tsumeb, Oshakati and Rundu have a list available. At Koes, the list can be viewed at the police station, while the ministry of agriculture will display the list at the following towns: Karasburg, Bethanien, Omaruru, Outjo and Grootfontein.

For written objections and correction of names spelt wrongly are available at all those offices.

Many names of farms and owners are misspelt, while the 44 farms in Region A (Okavango) are not on the list. Their numbers are from 1281 to 1324. The same goes for the Mangetti Farms in Region B, where only a few of the one hundred farms from numbers 763 to 810 and 1171 to 1240 are listed.

The list reads like a Who-is-Who of the new of new elites. Bishop Zephania Kameeta owns 2 farms: portions 1 and 2 of farm Schadeck (No.1 in Region M) with 7155 and 3889 hectares respectively. Ministers Pohamba (Guinas), Abraham Iyambo (Goed-begin), Nickey Iyambo (Ubi Bene), Ekandjo (Elsie)

SWAPO secretary general Tjiriange (Dis Al) and Speaker Dr, Mosé Tjitendero own a farm each. Bosses of parastatals like Mr Primus Hango (GIPF), Dr Leake Hangala (Nam-Power), Immanuel Ngatjizeko (Nat. Planning Commission), Joe Mazeingo (NamCor), John Shaetonhodi (Trans-Namib) as well as the son of President Sam Nujoma, Utoni, also have a farm. The SWAPO company Kalahari Holdings owns various plots, while Windhoek Mayor Matheus Shikongo, Advocate Dirk Conradie, and labour union activist Ranga Haikali also have a farm. The farm of Haikali is called Okonjima (No 3 in Region B) has 4981 ha and is valued at N$ 1,04 million.