Hertta-Maria Amutenja
Senior citizens across the country have not received their pension grants as expected on 1 April, raising concern over delays in the disbursement of monthly social support.
The Ministry of Finance and Social Grants Management says payments were processed on time, but the reason the funds have not reached recipients remains unclear.
The finance ministry’s spokesperson, Wilson Shikoto, said the government had fulfilled its payment responsibilities.
“The payment was done. So, whatever happened between us and NamPost, we cannot explain. But all we can say is that the payment is done. We are sure that the payment is never late. We do our payment on time. I don’t know exactly where the delay is coming from, but what we know is that senior citizens were paid. The money should have been reflected, actually,” Shikoto said.
He pointed to NamPost, which handles the distribution of pension grants, as a possible source of the problem.
“If there is any kind of delay, I think maybe speak to NamPost. Maybe they have not done what they were supposed to do,” he said.
Titus Ilonga, a pensioner who usually receives his grant by the 2nd or 3rd of each month, said the money had not been reflected in his account.
“It rarely reflects on time, but this time, nothing has come through yet. They need to do better,” he said.
NamPost could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.
The delay has left many pensioners frustrated, with some forced to buy essentials on credit while waiting for their N$1 400 monthly grant.
A financial analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity, said delays of this nature may signal broader cash flow challenges or technical problems in the distribution system.
Last month, similar delays led to chaos at the NamPost head office in Windhoek when pensioners found they could not access their grants.
At the time, the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare attributed the issue to technical difficulties and advised beneficiaries to collect their grants the following day.
