Zebaldt Ngaruka
The widespread exploitation of government social grants' recipients by both business owners and cash loan sharks has drawn the ire of Omaheke’s top leaders.
The Omaheke regional council is now on a regional drive to address the matter.
The campaign is spearheaded by the regional council’s chairperson Ignatius Kariseb’s office, and it seeks to introduce decisive measures to combat grants exploitation.
It will also ensure that social benefits are directed to those genuinely in need.
The outreach programme, aimed at addressing the issue in the seven constituencies of Omaheke, commenced last Monday, and will end on 28 May.
It kicked off in the Okorukambe constituency with a meeting at the Omitara settlement, which was attended by business owners, social grant beneficiaries and other stakeholders.
The regional leadership also visited Witvlei, while Epukiro RC and Plessis Farm, better known as Okamujenda, were visited on Tuesday.
The following day was reserved for Leonardville settlement in the vast Aminuis constituency, whereas Corridor 21 and 13 were visited on Thursday.
The Aminuis RC settlement concluded the first week of the outreach programme on Friday.
New Era spoke to some beneficiaries and residents in the visited areas, who said it was necessary.
Chief amongst them is Elisabeth Tjitendero from Leonardville, who said the social grants by the government are helpful.
For her, it is disheartening to see fellow elders misusing it.
Tjitendero, who is also the chairperson of the Hai-//in San community in the settlement, added: “It is a good gesture that the regional leadership wants to change the status quo and the behaviour of some beneficiaries to use the grants for the intended purpose”.
''I do not have any other income. This grant helps me to feed my family and even pay for water use,'' said the 62-year-old.
Sharing similar sentiments is 69-year-old Aloasia Ogeis from the Ampralsduin location in Leonardville, who said the meeting with the regional top brass will make a difference.
This, she said, is because some beneficiaries are misusing the grants to the extent that they cannot buy food or clothing for themselves.
“We are fortunate to have these grants, and other countries do not have. We should be thankful to our government, and use it for our needs,” Ogeis said.
Meanwhile, Witvlei’s community activist Magdalena Emmela Murangi said the outreach programme was long overdue.
“This is a good initiative, and was supposed to happen long ago. Should our community have been helped with this programme, hunger could be something of the past in our region,” Murangi said.
The activist further applauded the leadership for the initiative towards helping the community in general.
One of the Omitara beneficiaries, Lena Seibes, said the misuse of social grants is a serious concern in the settlement.
She reasons that shebeens and traditional liquor outlets in the settlement attributed to the misuse of grants.
''This is difficult. We need a supermarket here where people can buy at a reasonable price. The settlement is big, but with no big shops, people end up buying things on account and paying more money,'' she said. Seibes added that the N$350 given to children is not enough, and she requested the authority to provide land where a supermarket can be built.
''Otherwise, the situation in Omitara will not change, and that led to the misuse of grants, as these business people here are taking advantage,'' she added.
In our original article published on 29 April 2024, we erroneously made reference to Mr Pecka Semba as the chairperson of the Omaheke regional council. Instead, we should have referred to Mr Ignatius Kariseb as the chairperson of Omaheke regional council. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
-zngaruka@yahoo.com