Ben Venter, lawyer for Karl Heimstadt of the farm Arcadia North, said yesterday that a meeting was scheduled for this morning and would also be attended by Steinhausen Regional Councillor Kilus Nguvauva.

Nguvauva's office at the Ministry of Fisheries, where he serves as Deputy Minister, confirmed that he was travelling to Gobabis to attend the meeting.

At the centre of the dispute is Heimstadt's decision to evict a group of people from his farm.

Heimstadt, through Venter, said he got the eviction order against the Kamutjemo family because they had no right to stay on his land.

He claimed the former owner of the farm had an agreement with a retired farmworker, Hans Kamutjemo, there since 1957, that he could stay on the land until he died.

When he died almost a year ago, Heimstadt allegedly approached his wife to have a similar arrangement with her.

The old people had no children.

However, the family allegedly prevented her from entering into the agreement because it would mean that they must get off the land.

They also approached Nguvauva to help them.

Heimstadt denied that he had sold the farm to a German as claimed by the other camp.

Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) President Raimar von Hase said yesterday that the union had evidence indicating that Heimstadt had done all he could to accommodate Mrs Kamutjemo on the farm and that the eviction order was against "people distantly related to her" - not against her.

He said Heimstadt also took care of her financially.

On Sunday, Swapo Regional Co-ordinator Festus Ueitele said he had requested Nguvauva to intervene as councillor of the Steinhausen Constituency and claimed that the NAUえーゆー only responded when steps were taken against its members and not when its members chased people off the land.

Von Hase said most of their members "enjoy excellent labour relations" with their workers and were supportive of them.

"The odd rotten apple, which can be found in other sectors of the economy as well, should never be used to generalise issues concerning commercial agricultural labour matters," the commercial farmers' union leader said.

Nguvauva could not be reached for comment, as he was travelling from Katima Mulilo.

Von Hase said the NAUえーゆー supported sustainable land reform in Namibia.

"At no time has the NAUえーゆー rejected expropriation as a means of achieving above (sustainable land reform) but we have said that we believe better mechanisms do exist," he said.

He said the NAUえーゆー was committed to sustainable, negotiated land reform and would continue to commit itself to finding solutions in the interest of the nation "and expects all stakeholders to refrain from threatening statements and destabilising actions".

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