Eveline de Klerk
SWAKOPMUND – The fact that 4 500 people in Erongo Region have registered for drought relief assistance while government had initially only budgeted for 2 000 people was among issues touched on during President Hage Geingob’s town hall meeting here yesterday.
Geingob said he was deeply touched by the struggles and challenges Namibian farmers in particular are undergoing in terms of the severe drought currently being experienced in the country.
Geingob is currently hosting town hall meetings in various towns in the country to conduct regional drought assessments as well as see the progress made, as well as bottlenecks, in order to scale up interventions.
Government availed N$570 million to assist farmers as well as households that are severely affected by the drought, along with other government assistance programmes under various line ministries.
Erongo is one of the regions that is hard hit by the ongoing drought that was declared a national state of emergency by the President on May 6.
“Our people are tough fighters despite the severe drought that we are experiencing and they should not lose hope,” Geingob told the residents of Erongo, who turned up in large numbers to air their issues.
Geingob explained that farmers in the south during his visit to Mariental showed his delegation the condition of their cattle and livestock due to the drought.
“One even wonders how people survived just by seeing the condition of their animals. It is too painful and one cannot even say anything that can ease the drought and its effects,” a worried Geingob said.
He appealed to Namibians to remain hopeful as government is doing all in its power to minimise the effects of drought on farmers.
Coastal residents also aired their concerns in terms of the unavailability of affordable land, unoccupied Build Together houses, corruption and the long overdue formalisation of the Democratic Resettlement Community (DRC) of Swakopmund.