Finance contradicts VP over N$1 700 disability grant claim

People with disabilities are still receiving N$1 600 a month from the state, not the N$1 700 announced by Vice President Lucia Witbooi last week, finance ministry spokesperson Wilson Shikoto has clarified.

Shikoto said yesterday that only the old-age pension had been increased to N$1 700 in April, while other social grants, including the disability grant, remained unchanged at N$1 600.

“The disability grant was not increased. What was increased is the [old-age] pension. And there is a difference between the grant and the pension. With the rest there was no increase,” Shikoto said in a telephonic interview.

The N$1 700 pension amount, he said, had been announced and re-emphasised by finance minister Ericah Shafudah, who had made it clear that no other categories of social grants had been changed.

The clarification follows remarks made by Witbooi on Friday at the launch of the Namibian Guideline on the Medical Assessment of Functionality and Degree of Disability in Windhoek.

Speaking at the event, Witbooi said the disability grant, established under the National Pensions Act of 1992, remained a key social protection instrument.

“Since independence, the monthly grant has increased from N$300 to N$1 700 as of April 2026,” Witbooi said.

She added that, with the 2023 census indicating that approximately 8% of the population receives the grant, the need for a fair, reliable, transparent and timely assessment system was clear.

Her remarks prompted concerns among people with disabilities, some of whom said they continued to receive N$1 600 a month despite the apparent announcement of an increase.

Payment delays

Meanwhile, in response to complaints from some pensioners that they had gone months without pension payments, Shikoto said it was likely due to incomplete documentation.

He urged those still awaiting payment to follow up with the relevant government offices.

“If you have verified yourself, I believe they must have started to receive the money. If they have verified and still do not get the money, they should do a follow-up with the offices,” Shikoto said.

In June, government temporarily suspended the grants of 15 825 old-age pension beneficiaries whose names could not be verified on the national population registry system.

The affected beneficiaries formed part of the 209 226 pensioners receiving the old-age grant at the time, according to the gender equality and child welfare ministry and the finance ministry.

The ministries said the verification exercise was intended to ensure the accuracy of the social-grant beneficiary list and was in line with verification measures used in social protection programmes.

Affected beneficiaries were advised to visit their nearest regional or constituency offices with their national identity document and birth certificate to have their grants reinstated.

Government said verified beneficiaries would receive back payments covering the period during which their grants were suspended.

The clarification comes amid continued concerns from pensioners over delayed payments, with calls for government and NamPost to urgently address reported problems affecting the social-grant payment system.