THE Rundu Town Council has warned its residents to stop selling and occupying land at informal settlements since these areas have not been formalised yet.

This was contained in a notice released on Monday, requesting community members to desist from the illegal sale and purchase of land within the informal settlements of Rundu, such as Kaisosi, Sikanduko, Ndama, Kasote, and Kehemu.

Rundu chief executive officer Olavi Nathanael confirmed this to The Namibian on Tuesday, saying this comes after the town planners' office detected the illegal sales of land, which has not been formalised, requesting all residents to stop participating in such illegal activities, but to rather engage with the relevant offices at the council for guidance.

"The council has observed with grave concern the practice of the illegal sale, purchase and occupation of land within the informal settlements by members of the community of Rundu," the notice reads.

It cautions members of the public to be wary of unscrupulous syndicates selling plots at the informal areas, saying such plots belong to the council, meaning the sale thereof is unlawful.

The notice says the land within the informal settlements have not been proclaimed and registered yet.

The council says any person found receiving or exchanging any land with money or material will be dealt with according to the law.

It says the council will not be held accountable for any loss due to such illegal transactions.

An appeal was made to any person with information leading to such practice to contact the Rundu Town Council's town planning and property office.

"Kindly be assured that your identity and all information will be protected," the notice reads.

It says the council is at an advanced stage with the land delivery programme, which will enable landless residents to secure land rights through the flexible land tenure system, which is in line with the Flexible Land Tenure Act of 2012.

The act allows local authorities to create new forms of title to immovable property in order to register all forms of title.

It further requests community members to be patient and cooperate with the relevant authorities to expedite the land delivery process.