Barkias Namwandi, the councillor for the Mariental-Urban constituency in the Hardap Region, told the House yesterday that he had seen some of these children going hungry while some did not even have school uniforms.

Namwandi said the grants were meant for buying food and other necessities for these children, as well as to pay school fees.

"These grants, are they really reaching the beneficiaries or are they going into somebody's pocket?" he asked.

Namwandi called on the Ministry to put up a monitoring mechanism to make sure that the money benefits the children.

Like Namwandi, Swapo MP Leevi Katoma said he had a feeling that some guardians or caretakers were pocketing the children's money.

He said some of these children were being turned away from school because they didn't have school uniforms or had not paid school fees.

DTA MP Lydia Kavetu applauded the Ministry for the "smooth" registration of orphans for the maintenance grants.

However, Kavetu said there were still many unregistered orphans in her Kunene Region, especially in remote rural areas.

"They are not benefiting from the grants entitled to them, because there are few social workers in the region," said Kavetu.

Swapo MP Bartholomeus Shangheta called on the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare to speed up the process of appointing record clerks for the registration of orphans and vulnerable children.

Shangheta said it was also high time that the ministry considered increasing the children's grants to keep up with increasing food prices.

He also called on the Ministry to regulate the establishment of kindergartens to avoid the mushrooming of such centres.

"At least one must meet the requirements for him or her to establish a kindergarten, for example having a Grade 10," he suggested.

Shangheta said at the moment anybody could start a kindergarten without proving that he or she was qualified to educate children.

Local News Headlines Of The Last 48 Hours

•  Residents sick of rotten, smoking dump
•  LLD dismisses striking workers
•  Namibia tightens controls on diet pills
•  Air Namibia may revive 737 link between Walvis Bay and SA
•  Windhoek stops payment 'bonus'
•  Democratic party complains to UN
•  No graft, here, says Oshana Governor
•  Keetmans crime stats
•  Shihepo in hospital
•  Taxi fares to go UP!
•  Pressure mounts on NBC
•  Another cold front on the way
•  Ministry of Mines 'allowed cribbing'
•  First heart surgery patients doing well
•  Shebeen shooting rampage case sent to High Court
•  HIV campaign exceeds expectations
•  SADC countries to toughen up on fighting illegal fishing
•  Gambling house fight ends in death
•  PM preaches Zim harmony
•  EU promises more aid to Zimbabwe after Robert Mugabe
•  Sacu concludes trade deal with Mercosur
•  Nepotism alleged at Karibib
•  New party launched in South
•  Spotlight to fall on people and park management
•  Mbeki meets Mugabe - again
•  Witnesses in Namugongo trial want money back
•  Body parts murder case referred to PG
•  Petrol pain pumped up 75 notches