Niël Terblanché
The Office of the Prime Minister has warned the public against retrieving and consuming spoiled maize meal bags marked “DROUGHT RELIEF AID, GRN – OPM”, which were disposed of at a dump site in northern Namibia.
The warning comes after a video clip, depicting villagers from the Omusati region gathering bags of maize meal on a dumpsite, was spreading on social media platforms.
The narrator of the video claims that the people in the area of the dumpsite saw four truckloads of the bags of maize meal being discarded.
The woman says on the video that when the villagers approach the local village councillor with requests for food, they are being told that there are none available to distribute.
“Yet four trucks have already offloaded hundreds of bags of the meal at the dumpsite,” she says.
A statement issued by the OPM on Sunday confirmed that the maize meal bags in question were never part of the government’s drought relief distribution plan.
According to the public relations division of the OPM, the ruined stock belonged to one of the suppliers of drought food aid and had not been delivered to the state programme.
“The bags got damaged in the storage of the supplier, reportedly due to spillage caused by the heavy rains. The supplier, in compliance with health standards, disposed of such products,” the statement read.
The OPM also clarified that since the food was still under the supplier’s ownership, the loss was borne by the company and not the government.
According to the statement, the government sources maize meal for drought relief from millers registered with the Namibian Agronomic Board, ensuring that all products meet the required specifications and are fit for human consumption.
“Spoiled or damaged food can be poisonous and thus cannot be distributed,” the statement warned.
Residents have been urged to avoid collecting maize meal from dump sites, as it poses a serious health risk.
“The public is urged to not retrieve maize meal bags that are dumped at dump sites, as they are not fit for human consumption,” the statement said.
According to the OPM, drought relief food aid distribution remains on track and will continue through established channels until 30 June 2025 despite this small setback.
The OPM also assured the public that food distributed under the programme adheres to the necessary health and safety regulations.
