By: Uakutura Kambaekua – Kunene
The Basic Income Grant (BIG) Coalition has stated that the recently launched Social Protection Policy (2021-2030), which was expected to outline comprehensive interventions to eradicate poverty, as President Hage Geingob said when he took office in 2015, is a disappointment.
According to the Coalition, the policy has not held water since its inception.
The policy states that social protection must help people “cope with the risks, vulnerabilities, and shocks throughout their life cycle,” including poverty, illness, hunger, lack of income, inability to access education, health sanitation, housing, etc.
According to the Coalition, the policy documents have played a significant role in reducing the poverty gap, especially the universal old-age pension; however, when it comes to the actual interventions, the document does not propose any new or bold steps.
“It does not even introduce a universal child grant which was still envisaged in the draft policy of 2019. Instead, the policy merely proposes to sustain the current children’s grants, old age grants, disability grants and veterans’ grants. This is clearly not enough to deal with the current crisis faced by most Namibian households,” noted BIG Coalition representative Rinaani Musutua.
Musutua also stated that the BIG Coalition of Namibia and many experts have repeatedly pointed to the threat that poverty and inequality pose to Namibia’s peace, security and stability. “Namibia is among the countries with the highest levels of inequality. A recent report by the World Bank reveals that 64 per cent (1.6 million) of Namibians live in poverty and cannot afford basic needs, and live a minimally decent life. Namibia has a youth unemployment rate of around 50 per cent. The country faces a “double burden” of persistent malnutrition and rising rates of diet-related non-communicable diseases,” she narrated. According to the 2020 UN Global Report on Food Crises, 859, 898 Namibians are constantly stressed about where they will get their next meal, of which 447, 577 need humanitarian aid. Malnutrition remains the leading cause of death among children under the age of five in Namibia.
Musutua said that implementing redistributive cash transfer programmes such as a universal BIG has proven to play an important role in addressing the crisis through their poverty and inequality reduction effects.
She further cautioned that the rising food prices would have a devastating effect on the already poor Namibians, who will be pushed further into poverty.
“This poses a serious threat to many Namibians’ food security, health, and education. It will make life even more difficult for struggling Namibians to afford the basics that sustain life,” added Musutua.
She said that people would have to spend more money on food which takes away spending on healthcare, education and transport. She argued this would mean that people will increasingly struggle to access health services, and there won’t be transport money to send children to school.
“Many Namibians will also not be able to pay for their children’s education-related expenditures as having food to stay alive will be a priority,” she said.
The increase in food prices is attributed to the current war between Ukraine and Russia, which led to shortages of wheat and sunflower products and an increase in global fuel prices. During the past five years, Namibia has been importing most of its wheat requirements from Russia. Overall, Namibia imports 60 per cent of the total domestic consumption needs, with most of the imports originating from South Africa. This leaves Namibia exposed to a high risk of food insecurity, especially among the unemployed and those that live below the poverty line.
Thus, Musutua stated that government must make serious efforts to improve food security by localising food production to reduce the dependence on other countries. “Increased localised food production around existing dams and rivers has to be a key focus as it will also increase agricultural employment, for example, in the form of agricultural cooperatives,” advised Musutua.
According to BIG Coalition, the current food price increments, to later be accompanied by rising utility bills such as electricity, water, and other municipal services, will lead to Namibians not being able to pay their utility bills. “This will lead to people losing their homes due to repossession by the municipality, thereby forcing them into squatter camps which presents hazards to their safety and health. This will lead to more land-related conflicts whereby land grabbing out of desperation will increase,” she said.
The Coalition further called on the government to take urgent steps to address the needs and discontent of the ever-increasing hungry Namibians. “That is why we repeat our call for the government to urgently implement a universal/unconditional BIG scheme of at least N$500 per month. This will be a comprehensive intervention, unlike the proposed conversion of the Harambee Food Bank and the Marginalised People’s Feeding Programme, which only target 45,000 and thus leave out most of those in need.”
Musutua said government needs to address poverty wholistically without putting the poor through tiresome and cumbersome processes and penalties by making the grant means-tested.
“That is why a universal BIG for all Namibians alongside the universal child grant and the social pensions is the best option to address hunger and poverty head-on. We are calling on our political leaders to hear the cries of those who are poor and left out and to take decisive action to end generational poverty,” concluded Musutua.
