However, in 2005, advertisements were placed in the local newspapers by the Department of Land Affairs (DLA) in Pretoria, advertising for applications from farmers who wish to lease the farms with the intention to purchase. The entire process was handled by the Pretoria office of the DLA and of the 700 applications they received, 40 applicants were shortlisted. Of the shortlisted, ten successful applicants received responses between May and June 2007 and were then settled on the farms with Permissions to Occupy. Permission to Occupy (PTOs) are valid for 12 months. One of the ten applicants is a member of the Ncera community and also an official of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. While he initially identified himself as one of the ten farmers, on correction from one of the farmers, he admitted that he soon vacated the farm after realising that no official documents were forthcoming from the DLA.