The Ministry of Home Affairs has reiterated that social grants are reserved for Namibian citizens and permanent residents, as for the 2024 Regularisation Act, remain with legal drafters.

This comes as 90-year-old Floriana Vashoka, born in Angola and who has lived in Namibia since 1990, appeals for identity documents to access an old-age pension grant.

Vashoka, who became a widow in 1999, explained that she has struggled to obtain identity documents and no longer has her birth or baptism records from Angola.

Without a pension, she now survives by cutting and selling grass.

“This has made my life difficult because I have been visiting immigration offices, where I am repeatedly asked to produce my birth certificate, which I do not have. I explained that my late husband brought me here, and I was referred to the Oshakati offices. When I disclosed that I was born in Angola, that is when the problems began. Previously, I survived on the crops I harvested, but now the fields are dry, and the harvest is poor.”

Vashoka also revealed that her voter registration and baptism cards were destroyed when her hut burnt down about a month ago.

Vashoka has three daughters and ten grandchildren.

Her neighbour, Josephina Stephanus, confirmed that Vashoka has lived in the area for years but has been unable to obtain citizenship documents.

“I know Meekulu. She has been living with her ten grandchildren. She tried her best to obtain citizenship, but there were no answers.”

Responding to the matter, the ministry's Deputy Executive Director and Chief Registrar, Jackson Wandjiva, explained the eligibility requirements for social grants and the status of the regularisation regulations.

“Social grants, including pensions, are safety nets provided to Namibian nationals and permanent residence permit holders. In her case, she is neither a citizen nor a permanent resident. The government reviewed its legal framework, including the Regularisation of Status of Certain Residents of Namibia, Their Descendants and Foreign Spouses Act, 2024 (Act No. 15 of 2024). This Act was passed in December 2024, and the enabling regulations are now with legal drafters.”