A fire destroyed the abandoned Edel Date Farm south of Mariental on Friday night.

Heinrich Swapo Ndume, the owner of Octant Investment Pty, which owns shares in the date farm, confirmed that a fire had ripped through the farm, causing major damage.

Ndume suspects the fire was an act of arson, describing the damage caused by the fire as devastating.

He claims that the farm, which spanned 40 hectares, 30 of which were under cultivation, exported dates worth approximately N$52 million to the United Arab Emirates and South Africa each year.

He, however, said the farm ceased operations in 2020 following a dispute between the shareholders over alleged misappropriation of funds.

SOMNAM Investment is the other shareholding company, and currently, the two shareholding companies are still embroiled in a legal battle, Ndume stated.