Traditional leaders say delays and irregularities in NamPost's social grant distributions are leaving elderly beneficiaries stranded, exhausted, and struggling across several regions.
Some pensioners spend nights at Namibia Post Limited (NamPost) pay points waiting to be paid their social grants, they say.
Mbunza Traditional Authority chief Alfons Kaundu says pensioners in his area are suffering due to irregular and incomplete grant distributions.
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"Sometimes NamPost does not finish distributing social grants, and they do not come back to those places," he says.
He says NamPost often announces grant distribution at certain villages on radio, but do not show up.
Kaundu says some beneficiaries travel long distances to get to these points.
"They really need to improve. People are suffering," he says.
In the Erongo region, beneficiaries in the Omatjete area were left stranded last week after NamPost officials allegedly experienced technical problems while distributing grants.
Zeraeua Traditional Authority chairperson Hivirikee Uaseuapuani says the issue persisted over several days.
"The NamPost machine started overheating just as officials began distributing the grants," he says.
"The same problem occurred again on Saturday at the same pay point. NamPost only managed to complete the distribution of social grants at that specific pay point on Tuesday," he says.
Uaseuapuani says the delays have left many pensioners stranded.
"They travel far by donkey cart. Some even had to sleep there without accommodation or food," he says.
SLEEPING UNDER TREES
In the Omusati region's Ogongo constituency, some beneficiaries at the Pyamukuyu centre also complain about repeated no-shows of NamPost officials.
Beneficiary Selma Nathanael says: "We were told on Friday that officials would come, but they never showed up. Beneficiaries spent the entire day sleeping under trees in the heat.
"They only showed up on Thursday [yesterday] morning," she says.
Nathaneal says NamPost did not visit her centre last month at all.
Another beneficiary, Maria Nambandi, from the same pay point, says the delays affect small businesses too.
"On Friday, some small business owners slaughtered animals, hoping to sell when the beneficiaries get their money, but they ended up going without selling anything," she says.
'We're actually new'
NamPost northern regional social grants coordinator Marius Nangolo denies that any pay point was totally excluded last month.
"You have to take note that NamPost started its first payment on 14 October. That month's cycle was shortened, so there were some pay points we did not reach, not because we ignored them, but because it was a mid-month payment," he says.
Nangolo says NamPost has now put schedules in place for November and December to ensure all locations approved by the Ministry of Finance are served.
"We are actually new. We only commenced in October. You should know that we have only recently been tasked with distributing social grants," he says.
Nangolo says beneficiaries living within a 5km radius of a NamPost branch will no longer receive grants at rural pay points, as they should now collect their payments at nearby post offices.
He says beneficiaries have been informed of the new system, but misinformation has caused confusion.
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"We request the public to be patient and listen only to official communication from NamPost," he says.
Nangolo says some pay points appear overcrowded because people travel from towns to rural areas to collect their grants.
"The first three days of each month are allocated to elderly beneficiaries, followed by three days for people with disabilities, and three days for orphans and vulnerable children.
"But when you go to any branch, you find young people pushing around elders, while we've clearly set aside days for the elderly," he says.
"People want to be served all at once, but that's impossible. If you visit a post office around the 20th of the month, you won't even find anyone queueing for grants."
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