SCHLIP
Addressing the community of Schlip settlement in the Hardap Region during a familiarisation visit, the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Tjekero Tweya, said his ministry is determined to provide access to information and this must be free to all.
He said his ministry has regional offices in all fourteen regions, which can assist the community by providing information that they would otherwise not have access to.
Responding to an enquiry about people sending short text messages to the newspapers complaining about government services, the minister said people are allowed to express their opinions, except when they are offensive and try to incite tribalism.
“Such people do this because of lack of information that is not provided to them. Our ministry has a division called Media Liaison and Monitoring Services, which monitors all these complaints and New Era has provided us with space in the newspaper to publish responses from various ministries and stakeholders to address the issues facing the nation,” he said.
Other queries raised by the community of Schlip include the lack of streetlights in some parts, which they said poses various risks and dangers, especially to the most vulnerable in the community.
Responding to this, Minister of Mines and Energy Obeth Kandjoze said the rural electrification programme is currently up and running in all 14 regions. However, the difficulty consists in the fact that resources allocated towards rural electrification have shrunk over the years while the demand for electricity has increased.
Residents also complained about not receiving social grants due to a lack of identification documents. In response the Minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, Bishop Zephania Kameeta, urged local councillors to provide his office with the names of all residents of Schlip, who need to apply for social grants and are still waiting for identification documents.
He said his ministry has pleaded with the home affairs ministry to speed up the provision of identity documents and further encouraged residents, who have recently turned 60, to apply for pension grants as it would help them meet their daily needs.
The minister also said his ministry would soon set up food banks. “The food banks that will be set up are not only for food, but will also provide teaching materials for the needy. We will be helping people in such a way that they can help themselves,” said Kameeta, adding that the first food bank will start in Windhoek and a company responsible has already been identified.
Other infrastructure that will benefit the community of Schlip includes the upgrading of the Schlip clinic – a project run by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, as well as improving housing facilities.
* Hilmah Hashange works for the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in the Hardap Region.