Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) parliamentarian Lilian Lutuhezi questions what will happen to elderly Namibians who failed to complete the verification process before the 31 July deadline.
In a statement released on Thursday, Lutuhezi says while the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare has reinstated 10 066 of the 15 785 pensioners whose grants were suspended, more than 5 700 elderly beneficiaries remain without payments.
She says the ministry’s assurance that the situation would be resolved by the end of October does not address pensioners who could not reach ministry offices because of transport difficulties, lack of assistance or other genuine challenges.
“The ministry should at least tell us what happens to those who genuinely could not make it to the offices before the deadline,” Lutuhezi says.
She calls for clarity on whether another verification opportunity would be provided, when it would begin and how vulnerable pensioners would be assisted to complete the process.
Lutuhezi criticises the ministry over delays in back payments, saying some reinstated pensioners were allegedly given payment dates that passed without the money reaching their accounts.
Social justice activist Junia Kaindjee on Thursday echoed the concerns, saying the ministry should immediately reinstate all remaining pensioners and pay outstanding grants.
Kaindjee further called for mobile verification teams to be deployed to rural areas and for the ministry to publish a clear verification plan with specific deadlines.
She said no elderly Namibian should be forced to travel long distances or queue for hours simply to prove their eligibility for a grant they depend on for survival.
