Grasheuwels in the Keetmanshoop district was transferred from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry to the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement in 2000.

It was then divided into three units of 3 321 ha, 3 199 ha and 5 294 ha.

Two of the beneficiaries are fulltime farmers, while the beneficiary of the largest portion is a part-time farmer.

The beneficiary of Unit A, Stephanus Witbooi, is a fulltime farmer but works as a handyman who mends fences, in order to supplement his income from his farming business.

When New Era visited the farm, only the workers were present at the farm.

Witbooi owns 20 goats and 48 sheep.

However, a family member of Witbooi, who farms with him, owns more livestock than him.

A certain Elia !Kharuchab, who is said to be a family member, owns 14 cattle, 100 goats and 106 sheep.

Grazing on the farm looked very good, while workers also said that water on their unit was currently not a problem.

The owner of Unit B is 74-year-old Stephanus Nitscke, who has been struggling with water and fences, since he arrived on the farm in 2000.

"I have invested over N$300 000 in fixing the water and fences on this farm, throughout the 12 years I have been staying on this farm," said the farmer.

Nitscke had to sell a lot of his livestock and he used the proceeds to invest in farm infrastructure.

"The Water Affairs people just messed up the water, when they came to fix the water. Luckily the water is very close to the surface and we are able to get water through our own means," he added.

He had never really received any help from government, except the farm that he was given.

"But I think it is the people working for government here in our area who do not do their work in helping the farmers," Nitscke stated.

The farmer owns 93 cattle, a huge number, which is very rare in the southern region, as well as 196 sheep, 105 goats, 17 pigs, eight horses and nine donkeys.

"I have 30 cats to keep the snakes away from home, because there are a lot of them around here," he said.

Had it not been for his sons, who helps him financially, he would have been worse off, than he is currently doing, the farmer related.

He took a loan of N$65 000 from the Agricultural Bank two years ago, which is nearly paid off.

Nitscke said if the bank would have given more than N$65 000, he would have bought more livestock and made up for the ones he sold over years to fix the water problem, that he had.

The elderly farmer has one big worry.

"I am getting old and I think I would like to give the farm over to my eldest son, because he is interested in farming. If I can get the farm on his name," he said.

The Nitscke family also does gardening, planting lucerne and guavas. They also do charity work, as they donate milk and donkey meat to old people in Koës.

The owners of Unit C, Adoons Rooi, are employed and work for one of the village or town councils in the Karas Region.

His wife, Magrietha, and foreman Josef Pienaar were present on the farm.

The Rooi family fixed their water infrastructure themselves, like so many families on resettlement farms are doing.

They have to get water from one of the cattle posts and had to heavily invest in buying pipes to bring the water home.

To make it worse, the area is full of poisonous plants, which killed a huge number of Rooi's sheep.

"We got a loan from Agribank and bought 100 Dorpers but they were killed by the poisonous plants," Magrietha said.

The couple own 166 sheep, 128 goats and 22 cattle.

The Rooi family is busy building a house on their allotment.