The Erongo Regional Council says the 127 tins of fish for drought relief were not disposed of because they were expired, as insinuated in a video circulating on social media.

It says the tins meant for Karibib will only expire in 2026, but they had to be disposed of because they were damaged in handling by a forklift.

In line with standard operating procedures, the damaged fish tins were inspected by a certified health inspector, who declared the damaged products unfit for consumption and ordered their removal.

The Regional Council, however, stated that the disposal of the damaged items was handled recklessly from the warehouse to the dumping site because the health inspector did not take the damaged tins directly to the dumping site. He instead took them to the Karibib Municipality, where he was to collect similar items. 

An employee at the town council allegedly saw the items, took videos, and shared them on social media with incorrect information.

The Erongo Regional Council says the video resulted in confusion among the food aid beneficiaries as it indirectly insinuated that the government was feeding them expired food.

Members of the public have been urged to refrain from politicising drought relief food assistance and recklessly sharing incorrect information that would instill fear and confusion among beneficiaries.