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A number of Angolans who have been living in Namibia for decades are still finding it difficult to acquire Namibian citizenship and are not benefiting from social safety nets.

68-year-old Johannes Tjivandu is one of them. He came to Namibia about 50 years ago, but he still does not qualify for any social benefits.

Tjivandu had been a farm worker for many years, but retired after he turned 60, and that is how he ended up living on the outskirts of Otjiwarongo, where he lives in a poorly erected corrugated iron structure.

"I have been trying for years and years. I went to the Ombudsman, Councillor, Governor, and police, but I couldn't get any help. That's why I decided, let me go live in the bush with my goats because when I was in town they did not want me. Now I am here, what can I do?"

When he was a farm worker, Tjivandu was registered with the Social Security Commission, paying as little as N$5 per month.

However, he does not have an ID, making it difficult to access his benefits.

"The N$5 or N$10 dollars I have been giving social security are a lot now and others haven't even waited a month to get their money. To get the money, social security said you require an ID, which I don't have."

The only documents he has qualified for since he moved to Namibia were voter's cards, which he acquired using his baptism card.

"I have voted for all of them, starting from Sam going to Pohamba and also Hage, and even the next one I will vote for, but it's just for the benefit of others while I am in extreme poverty. Look at my shoes. And my clothes were last washed by the rain."

Efforts he made to get an ID in Angola proved futile, as he was reportedly told to go back to Namibia, where he has lived for decades.

When contacted for comment, Sackeus Kadhila, public relations officer for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration, stated that a birth certificate is needed to qualify for an ID.

He said the Ministry has many cases of people claiming to have stayed in Namibia for more than 50 years with no proof of being in the country legally.

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Photo Credits
TV News

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Author
Eveline Paulus