Khorixas
The government food relief programme for the San has improved their lot in Kunene and is a sign government cares for its marginalised communities.
This view was expressed by Outjo Constituency Councillor Abraham Job.
Job told New Era the San Relief Food Programme is a continuous special programme, different from the drought relief programme also run by the government. The San Relief Food Programme delivers three 10kg bags of maize meal and four 750 grams of tinned fish to each household at the resettlement farms of Seringkop, Balalaika, Toevlug and Werda.
Tinned fish is only distributed when it is available. More than 600 people benefit from this programme in which the bulk of households are female-headed.
“Even before drought was declared, the programme for the San community was in existence and will never stop as the government cares for its people not only the marginalised communities,” Job said.
San communities across the country are finding it difficult to sustain themselves.To this end, government supplies them with food on a monthly basis – at resettlement farms or other areas of residence.
Those who reside in Outjo are not excluded as long as they are registered with the Hai-//Om Traditional Authority that is based at Outjo, Job explained. At times the San Relief Food Programme has been hampered by the lack of transport or due to mix-ups with the drought relief food. Two officials from the disaster risk management committee are at Outjo while one is in Opuwo. Fifty cattle given by the German Special Initiative Programme to the San communities surrounding Outjo about three years ago have increased and the second group will also receive cattle, although hyenas killed some of the livestock.
Currently the constituency office is busy with plans to hand over cattle to the second group soon, said the councillor.