GOBABIS – Drought relief aid beneficiaries and those reliant on government’s other social safety nets are calling for the abolishment of food parcel handouts, and for the government to consider introducing food vouchers. 

This submission was put forth during vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s engagement with Omaheke farmers and residents at Gobabis on Friday, where many of the region’s beneficiaries of government’s drought relief assistance programme and farmworkers were present. 

The Omaheke farmers’ engagement day was held under the theme ‘Navigating Challenges, Cultivating Opportunities’ at the Omateko Lodge and Conference Centre at Gobabis, where Nandi-Ndaitwah was the keynote speaker.

Most farmworkers and communal farmers, especially those heavily-dependent on government’s drought relief assistance, collectively called on the vice president to consider replacing the current system of food handouts with food vouchers, which they feel will be manageable, and will go a long way in preserving human dignity. 

Many are fully-appreciative of government’s efforts to alleviate poverty and the scourge of the ongoing drought, but most of those who attended had unresolved issues.

“What we have noticed is that the government is truly making an effort to give food to all the needy people countrywide, especially to those of us affected by the protracted drought, and who have nothing to eat. But the problem is that food intended for the needy is kept in warehouses at the regional and constituency level until it rots because the councillors are struggling to procure transport to distribute the food to us. Sometimes when this food comes, it is either too late or it is in a very bad state, and no longer fit for human consumption,” complained 72-year-old Jakobus Gideon, who hails from the Omitara area. 

Make it easy

Gideon added: “Because when these food parcels finally reach us, we now have to scramble and push each other around, just to grab a piece of the handouts. It is not a good image for any human being. We are also people with dignity, even if we are poor and are farmworkers. That is why we have been saying food vouchers will be much better because one will know when and how to use them, and on which essential food items. We will also manage as to what time of the month to use them. 

Why should we always queue up in the sun and fight for food parcels?”

Another attendee, 46-year-old farmworker Michael Tjamuaha said drought relief food assistance to the needy has over the years helped in pushing the lines of poverty further backwards. But he agreed that the distributed food takes forever to reach them, and that the process of food parcels is cumbersome. 

“For those of us who work at farms, we are sometimes forced to walk up to 15 or 20 kilometres in the hot sun just to receive a bag of maize, cooking oil, two tins of fish and soup packs, and then walk back to our homes. We don’t have cars, and one cannot always use the donkey carts because the donkeys belong to our bosses. But is we start getting monthly food vouchers, we will manage them well. As opposed to those fish tins, one could also buy something of their choice which they feel will last longer”, he added.

“Our vice president should really consider our plea for vouchers. We love her, and we know she is a leader, which is why we came all the way here to listen to her, and share our problems with her. The vouchers will resolve the problem and avoid the unfair distribution of food,” emphasised Tjamuaha. 

Committed 

Responding to the food vouchers’ request while also addressing a raft of other issues raised during the engagement, Nandi-Ndaitwah admitted that the distribution of drought assistance food has been problematic in some areas, and cases of food that has gone rotten in warehouses has indeed been observed in various regions. 

“It [food vouchers] does not sound like a bad idea, although it will need proper planning and good coordination. Without appropriately planning for it, particularly in terms of resources’ allocation and the processing of such vouchers, we may likewise end up struggling to reach the intended people. So, I’m not shutting out the idea in its totality, as I fully understand the hardships that you are currently experiencing with the current handling of food parcels.”

“I have taken note of all the complaints that were raised around this issue, and it’s good that you all came here to share this with me. Despite the few hiccups, I think the current system is working in most areas. But if the issuing of food vouchers will make it even more efficient, why not explore such options in the future? So, it is noted, and we will seriously look into it. The government is open to all possibilities,” said the vice president, who gave an assurance that no Namibian will die from drought-induced hunger. 

-ohembapu@nepc.com.na