Nandi-Ndaitwah urges Zambezi residents to accept rice aid, move to safety

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has urged flood-affected residents in the Zambezi region to eat the 9 097 bags of rice given to them by the government and to stop resisting relocation.

“Eating rice can prevent residents from getting opportunistic illnesses that may come with the floods.

We really cannot throw away the rice or send it back to be given to other regions that are not facing floods,” she says.

Nandi-Ndaitwah made these remarks during her visit to the region on Wednesday to assess the flood situation.

The bags of rice are part of the 5 000 metric tonnes of rice worth about N$60 million donated from the Republic of Korea (South Korea) to Namibia last week.

Flooding, caused by heavy rain in the region since January, has left villages in the Kabbe South and Kabbe North constituencies submerged.

Over 75% of the two constituencies’ land is underwater.

Schools, clinics, and police offices are completely surrounded by water and hundreds of residents in the region have also been displaced.
The Zambezi River’s levels rose to 6.89m.

The last time the river was this high was in 2009 at 8.15m.

In the past 52 years of recorded data at Katima Mulilo, the river’s levels exceeded 7 metres 11 times, including four times in the past 37 years.

Record levels were recorded in 1969 at 8.16m.

The regional leaders informed the president that the flood-affected residents are rejecting the rice, as well as the idea of relocation.

The leaders say the residents prefer maize meal for aid.

While she understood that maize meal is the residents’ staple food, Nandi-Ndaitwah told them to eat what the government can give them.

She added that they must also consider the different nutritional elements that the rice offers.

The Office of the Prime Minister donated the 9 097 bags of 40kg rice to the flood-affected communities.

“Leaders must sensitise residents about the nutritional value of the rice.

Similarly, when one is used to a place, it’s also difficult to relocate until such a time that the water pushes you out and it becomes a crisis,” she said.

Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed satisfaction with the regional leadership’s response to the floods.

“I take note that the region needs more mattresses, tents, fuel, and boats.

It would also be best if we get an estimated number of residents to be relocated so that we have an idea as to how much aid is needed,” she stated.

Zambezi acting chief regional officer Beaven Walubita says residents are not used to eating rice every day, as it is only eaten during special occasions.

He adds that they also do not know how to cook South Korean rice, noting that it has a shorter cooking time compared to “normal” rice.

“When they cook it longer than five minutes it turns out like pap.

They are not throwing the rice away but they would much rather prefer that they are provided with maize meal which they know how to prepare and enjoy,” he says.

Walubita adds that they only have a relocation camp in the Sibbinda constituency for the victims of flash floods, however, in the Kabbe South and Kabbe North constituencies, communities are refusing to be relocated.

“We have provided the Sibbinda constituency’s relocated families with 15 tents and food.

In our warehouse we are left with 50 tents, but 25 will go to the three affected schools. We also have 100 mattresses and 100 blankets, part of which will go to the affected schools,” he says.

He adds that the region has 1 209 tinned fish cans, 3 309 bottles of cooking oil, and 84 boxes of blankets and kitchen utensils from the Red Cross.

Walubita says the region received 25 000 water purification tablets that will be distributed to the clinics in the Kabbe South and Kabbe North constituencies, as well as Sibbinda’s relocation camp.

“We have also received 2 000 mosquito nets that will be distributed to the three affected constituencies.

We have allocated one boat to support clinics in Kabbe South and Kabbe North,” he says.

Walubita has told the president that Muzii Combined School, Nankuntwe Combined School, and Mpukano Primary School are closed.

He says the regional council will relocate the pupils to higher ground by next week.

“This week we are busy with logistics to ensure that we give them the requested 25 tents, as well as the food for pupils and teachers,” he says.

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