Five employees of the Ohangwena Regional Council and an employee at the Oshikango Constituency Office have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the theft of drought relief food worth more than N$600,000 from a warehouse in Oshikango.
There is already a shortage of food aid in the region, as there is only enough aid to cater to 16,000 households in a region where 48,000 households require food aid.
When the nbc News team arrived in Oshikango, the warehouse was locked and no movement was detected.
The six suspects are 33-year-old Simon Josef, 38-year-old Miina Uukule, 42-year-old Jeipo Hilongwa, 42-year-old Gerrie Van Wyk, 36-year-old Nehemia Shoovaleka, and 44-year-old Fillemon Shikongo.
They appeared before the Ohangwena Magistrate's court on Monday and were remanded in custody.
The stolen food, including essential supplies such as maize meal, cooking oil, and canned food items, was meant to alleviate the hardship faced by families struggling to cope with the effects of the drought.
As the audit of the stolen items continues, the total value of stolen food supplies is expected to increase.
Ohangwena is the second-most populated region, with high levels of poverty and unemployment.
Ohangwena Regional Governor Sebastian Ndeitunga says the theft not only deprives vulnerable families of much-needed assistance but also undermines the trust placed in the regional council to prioritisethe well-being of the community.
"The government made everything possible to provide food relief, but now you have these unscrupulous citizens with the audacity to take the law into their own hands. They are working for the government and have salaries; at least they are able to put bread on their table, and they have the audacity to steal food that was meant for vulnerable citizens. This is very disturbing, and I know the law will be tougher on them."
During a recent engagement by the regional leadership and residents of the Epembe constituency, community members indicated that they hadn't received drought relief food in a long time, while at Ongenga, some families only received two packets of soup.
Ndeitunga says the Regional Council implemented stricter controls and oversight measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future and ensure the food is distributed as soon as it comes in.
"The theft of these items has worsened the situation, and whatever remains there should be distributed without further delay. As we were in Epembe, there were a lot of voices calling for the government to assist because the situation was not good, and the appeal at the office was that people from the towns of Helao Nafidi, Eenhana, and Okongo were desperate and wanted to be assisted in terms of food provision."
Ohangwena Chief Regional Officer Fillip Shilongo says regional authorities regret the incident and call on the government to consider returning to branding drought-relief foods so residents can easily identify them.