Eveline de Klerk
WALVIS BAY – While receiving national documents, shack fire victims at Walvis Bay urged the education ministry to speed up the issuance of duplicate education documents, as they are struggling to secure or apply for jobs.
The fire victims appealed on Thursday when they received identity documents and birth certificates from the home affairs minister Albert Kawana in the town.
At least 86 birth certificates and 51 identity documents were handed over by the minister to the victims to replace the documents they lost during a devastating shack fire in December in Tutaleni.
At least three houses and 25 shacks were gutted by fire on that fateful day, leaving close to 100 people homeless.
Mother of two, Beata Ndjuluwa (32), yesterday said she is relieved to finally get her national documents but indicated she is still waiting for certificates from the education ministry.
“It is really a challenge. We cannot be employed without those documents. We are a lot who are still waiting for them. In the meantime, we are just here idling around,” said Ndjuluwa, who is still living in a tent since the fire.
Another fire victim, Sophia Nepembe, collected 12 identity documents and birth certificates in total for her family.
She says they were all living together when the fire broke out.
“We are really grateful that the minister heard our plea and assisted us; otherwise, we would have still waited for them.”
She then appealed to all other ministries and institutions to also assist them and issue all needed documents as soon as possible.
Kawana also expressed the importance of national documents, as they not only affirm your Namibian citizenship but also play a critical role in accessing government incentives, such as social grants and private institutions, such as banks.
“Our young people also need their national documents, especially when they need to look for jobs; hence, it was necessary for the ministry to facilitate these national documents for our fire victims.”
Kawana said the ministry will continuously seek ways how to improve service delivery so that all Namibians have access to national documents.