n Matheus Hamutenya
KOËS – It was Christmas in winter for the residents of Koës last week Thursday when residents turned up to receive free fish with many smiling on their way back home with boxes of fish.
This was made possible by Seaflower Group of Companies through the Lüderitz mayor’s office, with about 700 boxes of fish handed out by the group, most going to residents of Koës, Aroab and Keetmanshoop’s Ileni informal settlement.
At Koës people flocked to the community hall to get their hands on the fish, and Lüderitz Mayor Hilaria Mukapuli, who was in Koës to see that the fish was distributed to the needy, said she was pleased and surprised at the huge turnout.
Speaking at the small ceremony before the handover of the fish, Mukapuli said Seaflower donates fish to her office every six months and a decision was taken that the fish should not only be shared among communities in the Lüderitz district, but the entire region and eventually the entire country.
“The donations we get were initially for Lüderitz, but we thought the sea does not belong to us only, it belongs to everyone in Namibia and therefore we decided to share these with you,” she told residents at the gathering.
Keetmanshoop Rural Constituency Councillor Elias !Kharuxab could not hide his joy, saying it was good to see people from his area also benefit from Namibia’s natural resources, adding that many households struggle to get food, and thus the donation will be of great help.
!Kharuxab had only one message for the residents: he encouraged them to kick red meat out of their diets and start eating more fish, saying fish is healthy and can help prevent diseases associated with red meat such as gout, adding that he hopes the donated fish will be put to good use by the families.
“We made sure everyone got, even those that came here late got, so I hope they use it for the right purposes and not sell it. Fish is very nutritious and good for the people, so we must encourage our people to eat more fish,” he said.
For many of the residents who received the fish, most of whom were elderly, this was something they will forever be thankful for, and it was evident as they moved around and shook the hands of those that made it all possible.
“We thank God, we thank our leaders for thinking about us, we struggle to get something to eat on a daily basis, but now we have something, we are happy,” said Annamarie Jossob.
Caption (Fish):
Manna… Lüderitz Mayor Hilaria Mukapuli and Keetmanshoop Rural Constituency Councillor Elias !Kharuxab hand over a box of fish to one of the residents.
Photo: Matheus Hamutenya