Food assistance for San in Omaheke massively delayed

By Katharina Moser, EpukiroThe San communities in Epukiro and the surrounding areas, which are affected by acute food insecurity, have not received any government food assistance since February of this year. This food assistance, which is administered by the Division of Marginalized Communities, is supposed to be provided to the San communities on a monthly basis. The Office of the President admitted to Network Media Hub (NMH) that in the entire Omaheke region, food was last distributed to the San under the Marginalized Communities Special Feeding Programme (MCSFP) between February 24 and March 19.As sources from the San group Ju/'hoansi, who are known to this media house by name but do not want to read their names in the newspaper, complained to NMH, the San in the settlements of Rooiland and Donkerhook on the outskirts of Epukiro last received food assistance from the government three months ago. The San in the region are affected by extreme poverty and hunger and are largely dependent on food assistance from the government to survive. Suspended aid therefore has a direct impact on the extent of hunger in the communities. When asked by NMH, the Office of the President admitted to delays in the distribution of food assistance. Following the recent restructuring of Government Offices, Ministries and Agencies announced by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in March 2025, the Office of the President explained, the Division of Marginalized Communities has been relocated under the direct supervision of the Vice President. „This structural change has necessitated a review of administrative procedures, which unfortunately contributed to delays in the procurement of food items“, said Mateus Ndalipo Kaholongo, the Acting Executive Director in the Office of the President, in his response to NMH.According to Kaholongo, awarded bidders have been instructed to deliver food items to the respective regional warehouses for onward distribution. “The Office of the President sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused to the affected communities and wishes to assure all stakeholders that the monthly distribution of food items will resume without further disruption“, Kaholongo said. “The Office of the President, through the Division Marginalized Communities, continues to support San Communities across the country with monthly food assistance under the Marginalized Communities Special Feeding Programme.”The Governor of the Omaheke Region, Pijoo Nganate, speaking about the delay in aid to the San in his region, told NMH that he had had a meeting some time ago with those responsible for the distribution of food aid which, on the other hand, comes from the Office of the Prime Minister through other programs for other groups than the San. There, he said, he had given the instruction that as long as there were issues with the MCSFP assistance to the San from the Office of the President, the existing aid from the other programs should benefit all affected people in the region, including the San. This directive from the governor does not seem to have been followed through in parts of the region: sources in Epukiro told NMH that while other ethnic groups in Epukiro have continued to receive food aid in recent months, none of this has been passed on to the San. Governor Nganate said he was not aware of the fact that food aid from other programs for other tribes had not reached some San communities despite his instructions.Vice President Lucia Witbooi, who is now in charge of food assistance to marginalized communities and specifically the San, told NMH that ”myself regrets any inconvenience caused by this. And we can assure them that the distribution of food items will resume soon.”

Food assistance for San in Omaheke massively delayed

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Republikein 2025-10-22

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Food assistance for San in Omaheke massively delayed

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