2016-11-09Staff Report 2 Amarika - Members of the San community in Amarika will soon receive fencing material from the Directorate of Marginalised Communities in the Office of the Vice-President to help them fence off their crop fields with wire. Senia Endjala, an economic planner from the Directorate of Marginalised Communities in the Office of the Vice-President, last Friday met with San community members in Amarika in Omusati Region. Endjala briefed the community on the results of the assessment that makes a recommendation that community members willing to work on their mahangu fields to produce food should benefit from the scheme. Endjala visited the houses of San people in Amarika and told them that only those who have started with basic work in their fields will receive materials, while he implored the rest to start working hard. “I have told you to refrain from alcohol and start working hard in order to produce food just like other Namibians but some of you did not do it. Therefore, I will not give materials to those who did not start anything. However, I will rather prioritise those who showed interest in producing their own food when the rains fall,” she said. Endjala told the community that if they work hard the government will meet them halfway to assist them where it can but stressed that government will not help those who sit idle at home doing nothing. She said the directorate is ready to assist with fencing materials provided that community members have shown interest in subsistence farming and are not going to waste government resources. She stressed that some marginalised communities in Omusati have fertile land and they need to start producing food with the aid of government. Endjala said the government tractor from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry would also start reaching out to those areas if the members of the community start cultivating their mahangu fields. She said it is very disheartening that people are concentrating more on alcohol and ignore productive work that will give them food. 2016-11-09Staff Report 2
