Angolans receive food assistance from Outjo councillor

ANGOLAN nationals are increasingly approaching the Outjo constituency office in search of food, says constituency councillor Johannes Antsino.

“It’s something we all know, Angola and Namibia share a special historical bond. Sometimes they do something to help themselves but often when they approach us, it’s mostly for food. To have something in the stomach for themselves and their children,” Antsino says.

“This [food] is to keep them going until they get a permanent job,” Antsino says.

Many Angolans work in exchange for food in the charcoal sector, as livestock herders or fixing fences, Antsino says.

The drought has fuelled the migration of Angolans to Outjo and other constituencies in the Kunene region, he adds.

“Some were employed at communal farms but the owners were forced to let them go after selling their cattle because of the drought.”

He says he cannot simply sit and see how fellow human beings are suffering, and thus he sometimes assists them from his own funds.

“It’s our culture, we have to continue assisting others, not in a mocking way but helping in a genuine way.”

Officials from the immigration ministry at Opuwo, as well as representatives from the Angolan government paid a courtesy visit to Antsino this month.

He called upon Angolans to make use of their government’s offer to take them back home to Angola.