Windhoek
People who attended the town hall meeting on Thursday in Windhoek, especially the elderly, said it was unbelievable that they were given an opportunity to stand in front of President Hage Geingob and senior ministers to brief them first-hand about their problems.
“He is a president among presidents; he calls a crowd of people together to hear their problems in their own languages. That is really unbelievable,” said a senior citizen who asked the government to build an additional old age home in Katutura.
She said that some elders are suffering because they “misuse their pension on alcohol”. She said that after spending their money on alcohol the elders then go back to the shebeens and ask to be given more alcohol, but on credit.
“After that they go sit in the riverbeds hopeless, dirty and hungry while they have children and family waiting for them. At least they will be taken care of if they are in an old age home,” suggested one of the senior citizens at the meeting that took place at Ramatex Hall in Otjomuise.
Another elder said: “It is amazing that we stand in front of you (President) and speak in our own languages. We pray for you to live long. You have respect and discipline.”
National Federation of People with Disability in Namibia (NFPDN) member Josephine Lazarus, who read Braille, said they are faced with many problems of a social, economic, political and educational nature, “as well as inaccessibility to information and infrastructure”.
“People with disabilities in Khomas Region and the rest of the country don’t have land. The municipality rents out land without electricity and water. We are forced to use public toilets when nature calls and the public toilets are not customized to serve people living with disabilities,” said Lazarus.
She said that those who live in shacks use candles, which leads to the failure of their children in school, and she also lamented the lack of residential land among the urban poor, which, she said, “leads to no future inheritance for children”.
She said that despite affirmative action, employers are not sincere when they advertise jobs because disabled people are employed for a shorter period than what was advertised.
Her colleague Elia Shapwa asked when would the national policy for people with disabilities be completed. He also asked President Geingob why did he not appoint a disabled minister.
But Geingob responded: “We are appointing people to represent you. Do you know there is a minister call Manombe (Alexia Manombe-Ncube) in parliament. We have one. I made her minister. Disabled people have a ministry. Even when I was prime minister that time … 20 years ago. They had an office in the Prime Minister’s Office.”
“We are saying disability is not an inability,” he added.
He said there is no minister or leader who would want to look down on a disabled person. “If they do, then they are the disabled ones.”
Geingob said the points raised at the meeting would be followed up.
“We will account. No one must feel left out. No one must feel left out because of my condition, or I am not given employment because I am this tribe or race. Let us all embrace that clarion call, let us hold hands and move in the same direction.”
Other points raised during the meeting were funding opportunities for women in business and the operating hours of shebeens. The elders especially complained about municipal bills and many other issues related to local authorities; the mushrooming of car washes; people living with disabilities having access to buildings in general and not just government buildings, and youth unemployment. The war veterans asked for rehabilitation facilities, office accommodation, medals for war veterans and assistance to enable them to run successful projects, as well clarity on the operating hours of health facilities, among others.