Efundja approaches from Angola

ALTHOUGH it is not raining in northern Namibia at the moment, the seasonal efundja floodwater has been spotted at villages near the Angolan border in the western part of the Ohangwena Region.

People from villages like Ohaingu, Ouhongo, Okambebe, Omungwelume, Ongenga, Onambango and Engela told The Namibian that the flood was heading for Oshakati.’We are lucky because we do not have rain now in the central part of Namibia to boost the efundja water from Angola, as was the case last year at the same time, otherwise we could have been under water now,’ a resident of Ohaingu said yesterday.She said the floodwater had not yet reached dangerous levels.Oshakati Town Council spokesperson Anna Ingwafa says the town is ready for the flood. She said people in the Uupindi and Oshikango informal settlements would be safe from the floodwater this year because the council had built a wall between them and the oshana.Despite the imminent arrival of the efundja, many parts of northern Namibia are very dry and mahangu farmers are praying for more rain before the end of the rainy season in April.’We really need water for our mahangu to grow, otherwise we might have dry year without any harvest for many mahangu growers,’ said Reinhilde Leopoldt from the Omusati Region.