Languishing and left behind
Namibian Sun found Rosa Ndara barefoot, scratching in rubbish heap adjacent to a Rundu road.
A family of eight, including a four-month-old baby, are living in extreme poverty and hunger in Rundu's Kehemu informal settlement.
They sleep on the floor of their one-room clay hut and have one meal a day or sometimes don't eat all. Only the lastborn grandchild has a birth certificate.
While driving along Maria Mwengere Road on Wednesday, Namibian Sun came across Rosa Ndara, who was barefoot and sorting through a rubbish heap adjacent to the road.
Rosa was about two kilometres away from her home and was filling her bags with used cold drink cans that she sells to a buyer in Rundu. She earns about N$40 per bag.
When asked why she resorted to selling cans for a living, while she looks to be over the age of 60 and thus qualifies for a monthly pension grant of N$1 250, Rosa said she does not have an ID.
“I don't know how old I am, but there are people I know, and we grew up together, who are receiving money at Epupa. I lost my old South West African identity card when I was in exile in Angola,” Rosa said.
When asked whether she has approached home affairs to get an ID, Rosa alleged she tried several times with no success.
Asked if she recalls when she last visited home affairs, she said about ten years ago.
Namibian Sun then accompanied her to the Kehemu informal settlement, where she has been living for five years with three of her five children and four
grandchildren.
Minutes after we arrived at her one-room clay structure, Rosa shared her family's
ordeal.
“Here, as you can see, we have nothing. First of all, we all sleep on the floor as we have no beds or matrasses. Secondly, we do not have any proper means of income and that is why we can only have one meal per day, which is in the evening, and sometimes we have nothing at all,” Rosa said.
“I raised my children with mutete (a locally harvested vegetable) and mahangu, that's all. I was never employed in my life,” Rosa
said.
Kavango poverty woes
The National Planning Commission's Namibia Poverty Mapping report revealed in 2015 that Kavango residents are the poorest in Namibia.
At the time, out of the estimated 568 418 poor people in Namibia, 21% were found in Kavango, while Ohangwena and Oshikoto accounted for 15% and 14% impoverished citizens, respectively.
It was also revealed that 58.3% of Kavango residents were involved in subsistence farming.
“The Kavango, with the highest poverty headcount of 53.2% has 64% of its population materially deprived, while 50% are employment deprived.”
National documents
When asked on Wednesday whether there is anyone in the family who has national documents, Rosa said none of her children and only one of a grandchildren has one.
Those of a schoolgoing age are not in school.
“No one in this house has national documents apart from my last grandchild, who got one when she was born,” Rosa said.
Rosa's firstborn, who identified herself as Maria Tjamba, said she doesn't know how old she is.
Maria doesn't know whether she was born before or after independence, saying she was only told her name.
“My name is Maria Tjamba because I was told so. There is no document to prove it and I also never went to school,” she said.
Maria, who is a mother of four, explained how difficult it is to secure any kind of employment to take care of her children because she does not have an ID.
“As much as I want to get a job, I do not have an ID and it's difficult to get a job here.”
Maria said the fathers of her children do not support them.
Rosa said despite the poverty they endure, she is thankful to God, who protects her family. She hopes that one day her family, especially her grandchildren get national documents, so they can go to school and hopefully take care of the
family.
When contacted for comment, home affairs ministry spokesperson Sackeus Kadhikwa said the family should visit its Rundu offices, so it can determined why they do not have national
documents.
Kadhikwa said it would be premature to comment on the matter while they are not familiar with the situation.
He said if Rosa lost her South West African national document, it was just a matter of her submitting her fingerprints and her identity will be determined.
“The family must just visit our office in Rundu; they will be assisted,” he added.
KENYA KAMBOWE
They sleep on the floor of their one-room clay hut and have one meal a day or sometimes don't eat all. Only the lastborn grandchild has a birth certificate.
While driving along Maria Mwengere Road on Wednesday, Namibian Sun came across Rosa Ndara, who was barefoot and sorting through a rubbish heap adjacent to the road.
Rosa was about two kilometres away from her home and was filling her bags with used cold drink cans that she sells to a buyer in Rundu. She earns about N$40 per bag.
When asked why she resorted to selling cans for a living, while she looks to be over the age of 60 and thus qualifies for a monthly pension grant of N$1 250, Rosa said she does not have an ID.
“I don't know how old I am, but there are people I know, and we grew up together, who are receiving money at Epupa. I lost my old South West African identity card when I was in exile in Angola,” Rosa said.
When asked whether she has approached home affairs to get an ID, Rosa alleged she tried several times with no success.
Asked if she recalls when she last visited home affairs, she said about ten years ago.
Namibian Sun then accompanied her to the Kehemu informal settlement, where she has been living for five years with three of her five children and four
grandchildren.
Minutes after we arrived at her one-room clay structure, Rosa shared her family's
ordeal.
“Here, as you can see, we have nothing. First of all, we all sleep on the floor as we have no beds or matrasses. Secondly, we do not have any proper means of income and that is why we can only have one meal per day, which is in the evening, and sometimes we have nothing at all,” Rosa said.
“I raised my children with mutete (a locally harvested vegetable) and mahangu, that's all. I was never employed in my life,” Rosa
said.
Kavango poverty woes
The National Planning Commission's Namibia Poverty Mapping report revealed in 2015 that Kavango residents are the poorest in Namibia.
At the time, out of the estimated 568 418 poor people in Namibia, 21% were found in Kavango, while Ohangwena and Oshikoto accounted for 15% and 14% impoverished citizens, respectively.
It was also revealed that 58.3% of Kavango residents were involved in subsistence farming.
“The Kavango, with the highest poverty headcount of 53.2% has 64% of its population materially deprived, while 50% are employment deprived.”
National documents
When asked on Wednesday whether there is anyone in the family who has national documents, Rosa said none of her children and only one of a grandchildren has one.
Those of a schoolgoing age are not in school.
“No one in this house has national documents apart from my last grandchild, who got one when she was born,” Rosa said.
Rosa's firstborn, who identified herself as Maria Tjamba, said she doesn't know how old she is.
Maria doesn't know whether she was born before or after independence, saying she was only told her name.
“My name is Maria Tjamba because I was told so. There is no document to prove it and I also never went to school,” she said.
Maria, who is a mother of four, explained how difficult it is to secure any kind of employment to take care of her children because she does not have an ID.
“As much as I want to get a job, I do not have an ID and it's difficult to get a job here.”
Maria said the fathers of her children do not support them.
Rosa said despite the poverty they endure, she is thankful to God, who protects her family. She hopes that one day her family, especially her grandchildren get national documents, so they can go to school and hopefully take care of the
family.
When contacted for comment, home affairs ministry spokesperson Sackeus Kadhikwa said the family should visit its Rundu offices, so it can determined why they do not have national
documents.
Kadhikwa said it would be premature to comment on the matter while they are not familiar with the situation.
He said if Rosa lost her South West African national document, it was just a matter of her submitting her fingerprints and her identity will be determined.
“The family must just visit our office in Rundu; they will be assisted,” he added.
KENYA KAMBOWE
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