5 719 still await social aid
More than 5,700 pensioners and other recipients of state social grants are still waiting to be reinstated on the government’s payment system. Their payments were suspended during a verification exercise.
Gender Equality and Child Welfare Minister Emma Kantema-Gaomas told the National Assembly on Tuesday that 15,785 beneficiaries had been affected. Of these, 10,066 have since verified their identities, been reinstated on the system and received payment. This leaves 5,719 cases unresolved.
Those affected include pensioners, recipients of child-welfare grants and beneficiaries of other social assistance administered by the ministry. Kantema-Gaomas said outstanding documentation was still being processed and beneficiaries’ details captured. The large number of cases had, however, slowed the process.
The verification exercise followed concerns raised during an audit of the ministry’s beneficiary database. Some beneficiaries had originally been registered using old South African identity documents, temporary identity slips or outdated Namibian IDs. In some cases, information in the social-grant database did not match the national population register maintained by the home affairs ministry.
Kantema-Gaomas said affected beneficiaries had to provide updated identity documents so officials could confirm their identity and eligibility. The exercise was also intended to establish whether those registered on the system were still alive and remained eligible for assistance.
MPs said pensioners and other beneficiaries were still approaching regional council and ministry offices even though the verification exercise itself had been completed. They called for a speedy solution and warned of the impact on elderly people, children and households dependent on the grants. Kantema-Gaomas acknowledged that her ministry was also unhappy with the pace of processing.
Backlog targeted for October
The gender equality and finance ministries have established a steering committee to speed up the reinstatement of beneficiaries on the payment system. Working hours are also expected to be extended and overtime authorised.
Government hopes to substantially reduce or clear the backlog by the next payment cycle in October. Kantema-Gaomas, however, did not give a firm deadline.
Reinstated pensioners are also expected to receive the N$100 increase in the old-age grant, which rose from N$1,600 to N$1,700 a month. The minister did not say how many months of arrears would be paid or whether all outstanding beneficiaries would ultimately be reinstated.
