Allexer Namundjebo
The Affirmative Repositioning (AR) Movement in Otjozondjupa region has condemned what it calls a systemic failure in the distribution of drought relief food in the Otavi Constituency after buried cans of suspected drought relief fish were discovered near Gabus Lodge on Friday.
According to the police, an unspecified quantity of canned fish was uncovered along a gravel road by residents, who alerted law enforcement and the Otjozondjupa Regional Council.
AR said the incident reflects a recurring crisis where expired food aid is wasted instead of reaching those in need.
In a statement on Monday, the movement described the impact of mismanagement, recalling how in the Kaap en Bou location in Otavi a mother boiled water only to silence her hungry children’s cries.
Johanness Johanness, chairperson of AR in Otjozondjupa, said, “It is unacceptable that in 2025, families are still going hungry while food meant for them rots in pits. This is a failure of leadership and a betrayal of our most vulnerable citizens.”
He noted that in 2024, AR activists and residents in Kaap en Bou also discovered a pit of expired canned fish , which was reported to regional leaders but ignored.
The matter was reported to the regional leadership, but no action was taken. “We reported these issues last year, and nothing changed. The cycle of negligence persists, resulting in the loss of lives. Our leaders must be held accountable,” Johanness said.
He claimed that four children in the constituency had died in the past two years from suspected hunger-related illnesses.
He added that while six people were arrested last year in Otavi for attempting to sell drought relief food, they were later released on N$1 000 bail each.
The movement directly blamed Otjozondjupa Governor John Julius ||Khamuseb, the Otavi Constituency Office, and officials in charge of food distribution.
“Leadership is not about positions or titles, it is about protecting life. History will judge those in power not by what they said, but by the suffering they allowed.”
AR demanded an urgent investigation into the burial of expired food and accountability for officials involved in mismanagement or diversion of aid.
“We are calling for full transparency. Every community member who needs help must receive it. Selling or wasting relief food is a crime against our people,” Johanness said.
The movement urged that drought relief food be distributed transparentlytime andime, and that sales to private individuals or farmers must stop. It said the crisis is not only a governance matter but one of justice, dignity, and survival.
This incident follows a series of drought relief scandals in Namibia.
In June 2025, five handymen employed at the Otavi depot were arrested for stealing rice and canned fish from the regional warehouse.
In May 2025, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) arrested a Zambezi Regional Council official and two business owners accused of diverting food worth over N$4 million.
In Kavango East earlier this year, a 48-year-old man was arrested for allegedly attempting to sell stolen drought relief items, including maize meal and cooking oil valued at N$34 150. The items were recovered and returned to authorities.
