Elderly face delays in old-age grants
The delays in the registration and administration of old-age social grants were raised in the National Assembly on Thursday, with questions about delays in old-age grant registration beyond the three-month period stipulated in the Ministry’s Customer Service Charter, including applications that have been pending since last year. Lilian Lutuhezi asked the Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare on why eligible elderly applicants are waiting beyond the stipulated period.
Lutuhezi said complaints had been received from elderly Namibians who applied for old-age grants but were still not registered on the system or receiving their grants. According to her, some elderly people had applied a month before, while others reportedly submitted their applications as far back as November last year and were still waiting to be registered or receive their payments.
The issue was raised against the Ministry’s Customer Service Charter, which states that eligible applicants for the old-age grant should be registered within three months. She further asked the minister to explain why eligible applicants were waiting beyond the three-month period before being registered and administered for the old-age grant. “How many old-age grant applicants have been pending for more than three months?” Lutuhezi asked.
She further sought details on the immediate measures being taken by the ministry to clear the backlog and ensure that eligible elderly people receive their grants without unnecessary delays. The issue affects Namibians who have reached the age of 60, which she said was a stage at which the government had recognised their need for social protection
The minister was therefore asked to account for the delays and provide clarity on the number of applications that have remained pending for more than three months.
