(1) Whether his department has been dealing with land claims and/or related matters by occupants of a certain farm (details furnished) in the Newcastle area, in KwaZulu-Natal; if not, why was a certain official (details furnished) of his department negotiating on this matter with the owner of the land (name furnished); if so, (a) what are the details of the progress that has been made towards reaching a settlement in this matter and (b) when will the settlement be finalised; (2) whether the said official has the authority to negotiate on this matter; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what were the terms upon which he was negotiating?