Food aid not expired: Bokomo

FOOD donated to flood victims at Oshakati was not past its expiry date as reported in some media this week, says Bokomo marketing officer Natasja Pieterse.

However, she said the company removed some of the food from warehouses because it was expiring at the end of this month. “Bokomo removed some boxes of the food that was to expire at the end of this month because we were afraid, they might forget to distribute them before that time and then distribute them after the expiry date.The food was not expired, as some media had reported,” she said.When President Hifikepunye Pohamba visited the new centre for flood victims at Oshakati over the weekend, the people told him they were going hungry and had received no food supplies.The President was not happy with that and asked to be taken to the food store at the Ongwediva Trade Fair Centre, where he was told that the food could not be distributed because it had expired.The chairman of the Oshana Regional Emergency Management Unit, Andreas Uutoni, and the Red Cross team leader in the North, Paulus Ngolombe, told The Namibian that the food was donated by Bokomo Namibia on March 5 and they found out the food had expired at the end of February.Ngolombe said they informed Bokomo Namibia, which removed the food from the store on Monday.Pieterse denied this however, saying the food that was removed was to expire at the end of March.Bokomo Namibia, one of the Frans Indongo Group of companies, has donated food worth N$180 000 to the flood victims this month.Together, the Frans Indongo Group donated goods and services worth N$330 000 on Monday.”Bokomo removed some boxes of the food that was to expire at the end of this month because we were afraid, they might forget to distribute them before that time and then distribute them after the expiry date.The food was not expired, as some media had reported,” she said.When President Hifikepunye Pohamba visited the new centre for flood victims at Oshakati over the weekend, the people told him they were going hungry and had received no food supplies.The President was not happy with that and asked to be taken to the food store at the Ongwediva Trade Fair Centre, where he was told that the food could not be distributed because it had expired.The chairman of the Oshana Regional Emergency Management Unit, Andreas Uutoni, and the Red Cross team leader in the North, Paulus Ngolombe, told The Namibian that the food was donated by Bokomo Namibia on March 5 and they found out the food had expired at the end of February.Ngolombe said they informed Bokomo Namibia, which removed the food from the store on Monday.Pieterse denied this however, saying the food that was removed was to expire at the end of March.Bokomo Namibia, one of the Frans Indongo Group of companies, has donated food worth N$180 000 to the flood victims this month.Together, the Frans Indongo Group donated goods and services worth N$330 000 on Monday.