Wezi Tjaronda
News of the forthcoming N$100 Basic Income Grant (BIG) for the impoverished community of Otjivero in Omitara has sent the community into compiling budgets on what they will do with the money.
Their budgets include food, other basic commodities, school fees for children, clothes and income-generating activities.
From what I gather, it almost sounds like the coming of the Messiah.
Word has it that even though almost every one believes there would be no Manna like what happened during the Biblical days, the people there can almost see ancient history repeating itself.
Today due to the precarious poverty in Otjivero, what one hears from every other resident is a depressing, “We have zero income here.”
And those that survive are really the fittest.
Their day-to-day income-generating activities include repairing cars of passers-by, doing piece jobs on nearby commercial farms, illegal collection of firewood from the farms and selling it, and drawing water and selling it.
Although these may sound like any normal activities from which one can earn money, money in Otjivero does not come easy. Those that collect firewood risk being shot at and arrested when caught.
Those that go to look for piece jobs from commercial farms are sometimes chased out at gunpoint, while those that draw water only earn 50 cents per 25-litre container.
Even though an old adage says “Struggle and toil, if you rest you rust,” I am tempted to think that Otjivero people have seen and experienced it all and really need some relief.
While many would rely on old age pension payouts, with which they buy food, pay school fees, clothing and many other needs, at least now households would be looking forward to another sum of money with which they can buy what the pension money could not.
I do not want to imagine what it will be like to have 1005 people all getting paid at one go. The sun will indeed come out with all the children, with all, even those conducting shebeen businesses, looking forward to something good.
Even shebeeners say they will start offering discounts to their clients knowing that there is extra money they can count on. At present, I hear some have even had to write off their clients’ debts because of long-standing accounts that they know their people will never get to pay.
Hopefully, when the households get this money, statements like “ons het niks nie” will be a thing of the past.
While N$ 100, which will be the grant per month for everyone between 0 – 59 years, sounds little for many people in Windhoek, for the community at Otjivero it will be a new lifeline.
At least all of them will know that at the end of the month they will be able to buy some food and soap for the entire family.
My prayer today is that the BIG will grow and visit many other suffering villages.
Eewa