Zambezi Governor Alufea Sampofu has cautioned political parties not to exploit drought relief as a campaign tool. 

He emphasised that food aid is a government programme designed to serve all Namibians, regardless of their political affiliation. Sampofu made these remarks while overseeing the distribution of drought relief in Sesheke, Kongola.

The distribution of drought relief food in the Zambezi Region is progressing well with limited challenges, such as the delay in receiving maize meal from the millers because of insufficient stock that has to be ordered from South Africa.

Governor Sampofu visited some distribution centres in Kongola to get first-hand information.

He appealed to the beneficiaries of drought relief and leaders at different levels to report any challenges they encountered during the registration and distribution processes.

Sampofu made it clear that drought relief does not come from anyone's pocket but from a government programme.

"These food rations are not to be politicised; no one should use this threatening that if you do not vote for them, you will not receive drought relief, or I will not give you maize meal because you are from a different party from theirs; no, it is not for any party. This is food from the government because it knows that there is drought affecting all in this country, which is why it is brought. Should any politician have food to distribute, let that be taken to his or her supporters."

The Director of Disaster Risk Management in the Office of the Prime Minister, Helen Likando, said the government has recently started purchasing frozen beef from Meatco to assist farmers in the communal areas who struggle to sell their livestock to destock.

"Because the market within the communal area is limited, Meatco has been struggling to sell this meat; as a result, the government has decided that we should buy the meat from Meatco. Once farmers sell their livestock to Meatco, we buy the meat, and then we distribute drought relief. But in addition to that, the government has also introduced the distribution of game meat, starting with Zambezi, and it will cover the entire country as animals are going to be culled in different national parks."

Likando noted that the move is also aimed at mitigating incidents of human-wildlife conflict, given the increasing number of wildlife competing for resources such as water and habitat.

Some constituencies in the region already received hippo meat, while some parts of Kongola received buffalo meat.

One of the Indunas of Sesheke Sub-Khuta, Benfector Mesho, raised concern that some people who are already 18 years old and not working are not benefiting despite them heading homesteads.

The number of beneficiaries is expected to increase as the marginalised communities that have been receiving drought relief together with others will have their own budget as it was previously.