TransNamib property sales riddled with discrepancies

An internal TransNamib property register has exposed irregularities in the recording and management of property sales, including duplicate transactions, disputed ownership and buyers who paid for properties but could not have them transferred into their names.The September 2025 register, which incorporates a conveyancing report dated 28 August 2025, records N$8.39 million in completed sales and N$11.19 million in cancelled transactions.However, some properties appear more than once, while others were sold despite unresolved questions about ownership, title deeds and municipal requirements.One of the most serious cases involves a N$1.305 million property in Otavi, where a buyer paid the full purchase price before conveyancers reported that the erf belonged to someone else.In Mariental, another property was reportedly sold to both the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) and a private purchaser.The findings cast doubt on the reliability of records maintained under TransNamib's property disposal programme, which began in 2018 after Cabinet approved the sale of non-core, unencumbered properties to finance the railway operator's strategic business plan.TransNamib's overall property portfolio was valued at approximately N$2.4 billion, while 183 properties subsequently identified for disposal carried a stated value of N$205 million.The company's initial auction attracted offers mostly around 50% below market value, prompting a review of its approach.The cancellation register contains five repeated entries involving the same properties, purchasers and amounts, collectively valued at N$211 000.Two Grünau properties involving D David, valued at N$130 000 and N$27 000, appear twice, alongside two Ariamsvlei properties involving RR and PB Beukes, valued at N$24 000 and N$15 000.Another Ariamsvlei property, Erf 144, involving EF Jansen and valued at N$15 000, is also duplicated.The register further includes Erf 437 in Otavi, involving W Vambe, valued at N$9 100, among cancelled transactions despite its status being recorded as proceeding.These entries raise questions about the accuracy of the N$11.19 million cancellation figure, particularly because some properties were later sold to different purchasers.Ownership questions The pending-transfer register identifies Sun Nambahu as the purchaser of Erf 384 in Khoaeb, Otavi, for N$1.305 million.Although Nambahu had paid in full, the conveyancers could not proceed because the property description conflicted with ownership information at the deeds office."We await TransNamib to confirm the property description, as the ERF 384 KHOAEB belongs to someone else at the deeds office,” the conveyancer's report says.The transaction also appears in the cancellation-notices register, although a later entry indicates that it was proceeding following payment.The records do not clarify whether the ownership discrepancy was resolved.A similar problem affected Erf 162 in Kalkfeld, valued at N$118 000, which reportedly appeared in the regional council's records as belonging to the council. The transaction was subsequently cancelled.In Mariental, Erf 556 was sold to S and P Kahovera for N$35 000, but the conveyancers discovered that the property had also been sold and transferred to NHE.“The property was sold to NHE and the client and registered into NHE's name in the beginning of this year.”Although the private purchaser had paid the purchase price and transfer costs, the transaction was cancelled. The register does not indicate whether the money was refunded.Other transactions stalled after purchasers had already made substantial payments.RR and DAC Esterhuizen paid N$202 533 in purchase price and transfer costs for Erf 810 in Mariental, together with N$3 087.47 in municipal charges on TransNamib's behalf.However, the conveyancers were still awaiting the original title deed and instructions from the company.The remainder of Erf 810 in Mariental also featured in disciplinary proceedings against former TransNamib executive for human capital Webster Gonzo.In September, disciplinary chairperson Cor Beuke found Gonzo guilty of gross negligence concerning the sale of that property and Erf 50 in Keetmanshoop, finding that they fell outside the authorised non-core disposal portfolio and that their eligibility had not been verified before the agreements were signed.Whether the Mariental property descriptions in the disciplinary findings and register refer to precisely the same erf remains to be confirmed.Another purchaser paid N$168 763 for Erf 1927 in Tseiblaagte, but the transfer was delayed because structures on the property were not reflected in approved building plans.Municipal charges also delayed the sale of Erf 2023 in Tseiblaagte, valued at N$170 000.“The client says that the bill is more than [N$]100 000, and he cannot afford the same as he was not aware that he should settle the invoice,” the register reads.The documentation problems extended to institutional buyers.Transactions involving the Agronomic Board and Meat Board of Namibia, worth more than N$1.2 million combined, were delayed while conveyancers sought correct erf numbers, property sizes or title deeds.A N$5.3 million transaction involving Lexna and the remainder of Erf 439 in Windhoek, the largest listed among pending transfers, also faced outstanding documentation and building-compliance issues.Unreconciled sales figuresThe completed sales register records purchase prices totalling N$8 388 964 and municipal charges of N$152 968.05 but reports N$8 233 366.95 as profit to TransNamib, leaving an unexplained difference of N$2 629.Some entries also lack purchaser names, while others contain gaps in transaction numbering or incomplete municipal charges.The discrepancies follow reports in June of a forensic review that questioned the reliability of TransNamib's property records and the disclosure of proceeds from earlier sales.Although the register does not establish fraud or deliberate manipulation, it reveals weaknesses in the recording and administration of property disposals, including transactions involving buyers whose payments had been received before the necessary transfer documentation was available.The report reflects the position mainly up to September 2025, and it remains unclear how many of the outstanding transfers, cancellations and refunds have since been resolved.

TransNamib property sales riddled with discrepancies

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-30

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TransNamib property sales riddled with discrepancies

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-30

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