OKONGO – In Okongo, what others discard as waste is a daily meal for the San community.
Once proud hunter-gatherers, the San have been forced into deep poverty after losing access to their traditional lands.
Today, they rely on government food relief, handouts, and odd jobs just to get by.
Katarina Kamiti’s story reflects the harsh reality faced by the San community of Okongo, a people long marginalised and living on the edge of survival.
While most people throw away fish intestines, for Kamati, they are the only way to feed her six children and unemployed husband.
On a hot afternoon, she was found stirring a pot of intestines, the smell filling her small, makeshift kitchen.
“What can we do. Sometimes the drought relief food takes three months to arrive. That’s the only source of food we depend on, and it never lasts for the whole month,” she asked,” shaking her head.
Silas Johannes (22) wakes up every morning in search of small domestic jobs to earn something to eat.
Yet when he returns home, there is little comfort waiting for him.
“There is nothing in my house. I just take my body inside, that’s it. No blankets, nothing fits inside except me,” pointing to his fragile shelter of plastic sheets and sticks.
Education has not provided a way out either.
Tusnelde Hafeni (21) failed Grade 10 and now stays home with her parents.
“I want to start a business, but there is no capital. I want to work so I can feed my family. I heard of the Youth Fund, but I don’t understand anything about it. How can we benefit from government programmes if we are not seen as important in society?” she asked.
For the elderly and sick, the struggle is even more desperate.
Mary Jones*, who lives with HIV, said food insecurity is threatening her health.
“This disease requires proper food, but we can’t afford it. That’s why we look like this,” she said quietly.
The San people in Okongo are pleading for help, not only food but also blankets, clothes and mattresses, as many sleep on bare ground through cold nights.
Activist Sonia Kondjela, who works with marginalised groups, raised concern about another hidden challenge, alcohol abuse.
“Otombo is a serious problem here. Some members of the community even end up selling their drought relief food to buy it,” she said.
He added that this is why it is important, alongside food, they should also be assisted with clothes, mattresses and blankets.
Okongo constituency councillor Efraim Shipindo acknowledged the challenges but said support is ongoing.
“We introduced the Omauni project, which sells vegetables at the cheapest price, so that marginalised families can access nutritious food. Every Wednesday, we also serve free soup to them,” he said.
Still, for most San families in Okongo, life is defined by scarcity, where the parts of food others discard become their main dish, and where the line between hunger and survival is painfully thin.