Africa-Press – Namibia. Hundreds of disability and pension grant beneficiaries have expressed frustration over poor service delivery at the Nkurenkuru Nampost branch, where allegedly long queues and inadequate facilities have left many waiting for up to two days without assistance.
Since Monday, government social grant beneficiaries have been queuing outside the Nampost branch, but only a limited number have been served. The situation worsened on Tuesday as elderly and disabled beneficiaries endured long hours of waiting, many sitting on the ground due to a lack of chairs, with no access to drinking water or toilets.
The complaints come after the Ministry of Finance officially appointed Nampost to take over the distribution of social grants from Epupa Investment Technology, effective 01 October 2025.
Beneficiaries say the transition has been poorly managed and that the service is slower than before.
Vilka Sikongo (62), who travelled from Siurungu, a nearby village, said she came to the post office on Monday, but was not assisted and had to return the following day, still without success.
“We had to borrow money to come back today, but what happens if we are not helped again? How do we return tomorrow? Government must find a better way. This system is frustrating us,” she said.
Sikongo expressed disappointment with the government’s decision to switch from Epupa to Nampost, saying Epupa had made services more accessible to villagers.
Another beneficiary, 72-year-old Sirvatius Matamu, said elderly people were not being prioritised.
“Imagine me, at my age, standing in a queue for two days. It’s not right. My health is at risk. With Epupa, elders were given first preference, but now we are mixed with everyone and left to wait,” Matamu said.
Gabriel Kativa, a social grant beneficiary living with albinism, said he missed a critical hospital appointment in Windhoek due to the delays.
“I was supposed to travel to Windhoek on Wednesday, but I couldn’t get transport money because I haven’t received my grant,” he said.
The Nkurenkuru Nampost branch reportedly has only a few chairs and no public toilets, compounding the hardship for the elderly and people living with disabilities.
While beneficiaries are struggling, some local business people have welcomed the increased foot traffic in town.
“Business will pick up since the grants are now paid here. We used to rely on students, but now pensioners will also be buying from us,” said Alfred Michael, a vendor selling red meat near the Nampost branch.
Johannes Shipanga, a seller of second-hand clothing, added “With the services now in town, we no longer have to travel to remote villages like we did when Epupa was in charge.”
Nampost’s Nkurenkuru branch recently relocated from the SME building to a new site near the Choppies supermarket in town.
Despite the economic upside for vendors, beneficiaries are urging the government and Nampost to urgently address service delays and improve conditions at the facility.
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