The Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, Frans Kapofi, says the deaths of 16 Shishugho family members should serve as a reminder to those deployed at grassroots levels to continuously access and inform the government to take appropriate action.

Kapofi expressed deep regret over the deaths of 16 people due to food insecurity.

Kapofi believes the disaster could have been avoided through various relief programmes had the government been notified of the dire situation the family was passing through.

The 16 deceased members of the Shishugho family were buried today at Kayova Village in Kavango East's Ndiyona Constituency.

A large number of mourners from the region and beyond gathered to pay their last respects.

At the memorial service on Friday, speaker after speaker described the incident as among the darkest in the country's history.

The Shishugho family, many of whom were children, tragically lost their lives in a matter of days after consuming a meal two weeks ago.