Santam donates to Drought Relief Namibia
N$100 000 to help fight the locust infestation
The locusts have destroyed over 719 000 hectares of grazing land and 1 207 hectares of crop fields in 10 of Namibia's 14 regions.
Since mid-December 2021 the ministry of agriculture has been battling with a swarm of locusts that have descended upon Namibia. Since then, the locusts have destroyed over 719 000 hectares of grazing land and 1 207 hectares of crop fields in 10 of Namibia’s 14 regions with the //Kharas region being the worst affected.
For Santam, a proudly Namibian company, this devastation not only to the land but also communities, urged them to look for ways they could assist those impacted by the outbreak and the company donated N$100 000 to Drought Relief Namibia. This donation will be put towards the purchase of fuel for vehicles that are used by the sprayers and contribute towards the salaries of those doing the spraying.
Santam CEO, Franco Feris said, “This donation is an extension of Santam as a citizen of Namibia. We do not view the farmers affected by this outbreak as just our policyholders, they are a part of our Santam Namibia family. This is us playing our part as the private sector giving back to the communities in which we operate, playing and alleviating the impact of disasters in our societies. We are Namibian for Namibians, standing together with the farming community.”
Speaking on behalf of Drought Relief Namibia, Henriette le Grange said, “As Drought Relief Namibia we are there for every farmer no matter the challenges they face and this is why we are helping with the fight against the locust infestation. This is a devastating blow to the farming community, especially farmers who received the first good rains since 2016. For us to stand a good chance of winning against the infestation we have to spray the locusts from the top, not on the ground, and at night when they are resting. The cost for such an exercise is in the region of N$552,000. This donation from Santam brings us closer to our goal of spraying 2500 hectares in the south of Namibia. We really appreciate the assistance and it will go a long way towards helping the farmers.”
“Apart from the donation, we have assembled a team on the ground in the affected areas to ensure that we assess the damage and are able to speedily deal with claims from our clients. We intend to ensure that in their hour of need we live up to our brand promise of providing insurance that is good and proper,” concludes Feris.
For Santam, a proudly Namibian company, this devastation not only to the land but also communities, urged them to look for ways they could assist those impacted by the outbreak and the company donated N$100 000 to Drought Relief Namibia. This donation will be put towards the purchase of fuel for vehicles that are used by the sprayers and contribute towards the salaries of those doing the spraying.
Santam CEO, Franco Feris said, “This donation is an extension of Santam as a citizen of Namibia. We do not view the farmers affected by this outbreak as just our policyholders, they are a part of our Santam Namibia family. This is us playing our part as the private sector giving back to the communities in which we operate, playing and alleviating the impact of disasters in our societies. We are Namibian for Namibians, standing together with the farming community.”
Speaking on behalf of Drought Relief Namibia, Henriette le Grange said, “As Drought Relief Namibia we are there for every farmer no matter the challenges they face and this is why we are helping with the fight against the locust infestation. This is a devastating blow to the farming community, especially farmers who received the first good rains since 2016. For us to stand a good chance of winning against the infestation we have to spray the locusts from the top, not on the ground, and at night when they are resting. The cost for such an exercise is in the region of N$552,000. This donation from Santam brings us closer to our goal of spraying 2500 hectares in the south of Namibia. We really appreciate the assistance and it will go a long way towards helping the farmers.”
“Apart from the donation, we have assembled a team on the ground in the affected areas to ensure that we assess the damage and are able to speedily deal with claims from our clients. We intend to ensure that in their hour of need we live up to our brand promise of providing insurance that is good and proper,” concludes Feris.
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