Windhoek
Namibia seems to have reached a consensus on how to spend the long-awaited N$100 million in drought relief from neighbouring South Africa, as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the two countries on Monday.
President Jacob Zuma pledged the drought relief during the devastating drought of 2013.
According to the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, the MoU will facilitate coordination of the activities of the implementing agencies on both the Namibian and South African sides and would ensure that the procurement of donated goods is done in a timeous manner and to the satisfaction of both parties.
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, together with her South African counterpart, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, signed the MoU, which would facilitate the disbursement of drought relief as per Zuma’s pledge during his state visit to Namibia in November 2013.
The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation through its subsidiary office, the African Renaissance Fund, has approved a total budget allocation of about R100 million for Namibia’s drought relief programme.
Of the total package of assistance, 50 percent is earmarked for the procurement of seed and maize meal, as per terms agreed upon by the two governments.
A statement from the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation has explained that the remaining 50 percent would be committed to the drilling of boreholes and procurement of equipment and the implementation of water projects, which is intended to render long-term benefits for communities adversely affected by the recurrence of drought in Namibia.
Meanwhile, two years after the pledge, Namibia is facing yet another catastrophic drought that has left many farmers helpless and hopeless and has even resulted in the possible water rationing for the capital city.
The protracted implementation of the assistance has left many Namibians questioning whether the relief will still serve its intended purpose.