OPUWO: The Director of Parks and Wildlife Management in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism says his directorate is working on a recommendation for the supply of game meat to drought relief efforts here.
Colgar Sikopo told Nampa on Saturday that they received the request to supplement the drought relief programme for the Kunene Region with a donation of several animals to be culled in the four constituencies of Epupa, Opuwo, Sesfontein and Khorixas, where communities have been receiving maize meal only since the relief programme started.
“We received a request from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) through our Permanent Secretary’s office to consider donating game for the drought relief programme in Kunene. Nothing has been allocated yet, but we are working on it,” said Sikopo.
He explained that the recommendation has to be forwarded to the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who will then make a decision on it.
“My directorate will be submitting the complete recommendation as per the request by the OPM to the office of the Environment Minister this week. It is difficult to say when the allocation will be made as that would depend on the approval and decision of the minister,” Sikopo noted.
He went on to say that it was not the first time the Ministry of Environment and Tourism is asked to donate game meat to communities that have been affected by drought or other disasters in the country.
“The decision lies with the minister, my department just has to recommend what we think would be possible,” he noted.
Usually, complete drought relief supplies include a foodstuff consignment made up of maize meal and supplements – tinned or dried fish, beans and cooking oil.
No supplements have so far however been supplied to the Kunene Region and only maize meal is being distributed to community members in the affected areas.
On Wednesday, 4 000 12.5 kilogramme bags of maize meal were delivered in Opuwo and Okangwati. Mbeumuna Muhuka, personal assistant to Kunene Governor Joshua //Hoebeb, told Nampa at the time they are only distributing maize meal as no supplements had been received yet.
“We don’t know when it is going to be delivered,” said Muhuka, who is attached to the drought relief programme.