Ohangwena: Relocated flood victims ‘starving’

Flood victims who were relocated due to persistent flooding in Ohangwena Region say they are starving and have not been getting enough food.

Since the flood started, government - through the Office of the Prime Minister - relocated 417 flood-affected people to seven relocation centres in the region.

Namibian Sun visited one of the sites in Onaminda village in the Oshikango constituency.

“The government must’ve forgotten about us. We are here suffering,” Kornelia Nghinyengwasha said.

“When we were first relocated, the assistance we got was consistent. Now, we do not get that much assistance any more,” she said.

The relocated families further claimed that they do not feel safe at the relocation centre because of thieves prowling the area at night.

“We requested to have police officers available at the site, but until today, nothing has been done,” she said.

Porridge and spinach

Acknowledging government’s efforts in relocating the group, representative Indileni Pangeiko said they eat the same meal almost every day - porridge and spinach, which they harvest themselves.

“We are grateful for government’s support, but the food is not enough, and the children are a lot,” she bemoaned.

According to Oshikango constituency councillor Ester Nghidimbwa, the relocated families get enough food, but they tend to misuse it.

“We give them food according to a schedule, and we ensure that the food is enough depending on the number of people in the household,” she said.

Refuting the flood victims’ claims, Nghidimbwa added that some of them end up selling the fish or the maize meal given to them.

She said some households that were not affected by the flood send their children to the relocation site to eat, and that’s why the food does not last.

The disaster affected 403 households in the region, but floodwater has since subsided.