Elderly voter denied pension due to lack of papers

AN elderly woman has not been receiving her pension grant due to a lack of the necessary documentation, despite consistently voting since independence.

Lissa Mbangu (89) has no surviving relatives, apart from her granddaughter Annakhleta Ndonga (38), and her name is not registered with the ministry of home affairs.

Mbangu was born at Kasote, about 10 kilometres from Rundu in Kavango East, according to her granddaughter and information on her voter’s card. Her card reveals that she has been voting in the Rundu Rural constituency.

When visited the family in Windhoek’s Hakahana informal settlement yesterday, Mbangu was sitting on a bench eating a vetkoek, oblivious to her surroundings.

Her granddaughter sat next to her while cradling her four-month-old baby in her arms. The only documents Mbangu has to her name are her two voters’ cards, which she has been using at every election to vote for a better life. But these cards are not enough to register her as a pension beneficiary.

Due to the language barrier, Ndonga spoke on behalf of her grandmother, who only speaks Rukwangali, saying that she was able to register as a voter as there were two witnesses who testified that Mbangu was indeed a Namibian during the early years after independence.

Speaking through her granddaughter, Mbangu said she continued voting because she was told by the elders in her village that voting is the only way to receive benefits.

Mbangu also said she will vote in this year’s elections scheduled for 27 November.

“She said she is going to vote because it will bring peace in the country, and it is how she will receive help,” Ndonga said on behalf of her grandmother.

Mbangu previously stayed at Kasote with her daughter, Johanna Mutorwa, who supported her financially, but had to move to Windhoek recently when her daughter died last month. Ndonga said Mutorwa had been fighting to get her mother documented, but died before she could fulfil her wish.

Ndonga added that since her aunt’s death, Mbangu has been left under her care.

“She [Mbangu] does not have any children; all of them [three children] have died, and I am her only relative left,” she said.

Ndonga, who is employed as a cleaner, lamented that taking care of her grandmother and her own four children and her young cousin has been a challenge because her salary is not enough to provide for all of them.

Speaking to yesterday, Shaanika Nashilongo, a human rights activist for the Monica Gender-Violence Solution entity based in Windhoek, said he had heard about the plight of Mbangu last year when she approached the non-profit organisation for help to acquire documentation.

“We had the home affairs officials here [at the centre] helping people to get documents, and she was there. What touched us is that she was supposed to be receiving a pension, but she has not received it because she does not have the right documents,” he said.

Nashilongo said while attempting to get her own identification document, she was informed by the home affairs officials that she could not be helped without the identification documents of her parents. Both Mbangu’s parents are long dead.

“They said that she could not get her own ID card if she does not have her parents’ ID cards and a birth certificate from where she was born,” he stated.

Nashilongo said he found it unfair that Mbangu is denied documents to receive a pension, especially because she never missed voting during an election.

“This woman has been voting for Swapo all these years, and she still cannot get an old-age pension. How is she supposed to vote at this upcoming election if she is not even receiving a pension?” he asked.

The spokesperson at the home affairs ministry, Sakeus Kadhikwa, said someone living in Namibia for more than 80 years without any documentation was suspicious.

“It actually raises eyebrows, and asks us to question that person,” he noted.

He added that in such cases, the person is usually advised to approach the ministry, and undergo an investigation.

“We do our own investigation to find out whether this person really is Namibian, or whether they just claim that they have been in the country for that long,” he said.

Kadhikwa stated that although Mbangu has a voter’s card, such documents are not reliable as in the past they were issued to anybody with a municipal account.

He added that a voter’s card is not a national document, which is why they are not used to determine whether an individual will be issued a national identity document.

There are also a number of requirements that someone needs to fulfil before they get an identity card.

He added that information such as where someone was born and who their parents were/are is also crucial for the investigative process.

“We likewise have to find out their place of birth, family tree, who their parents are, and whether the person has siblings, and if the siblings have ID documents,” said Kadhikwa.

*This article has been updated.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.