OSHAKATI: The Erongo Regional Council has refuted allegations that expired tins of fish intended for distribution to the underprivileged, were thrown away.
The regional council was responding to a video circulating on social media showing tins of fish intended for the drought relief programme in Karibib being discarded.
Senior public relations officer Susan ||Hoebes in a statement on Wednesday said the fish will only expire in 2026 and this can be confirmed by comparison with fish from the same consignment left in the warehouse for distribution.
||Hoebes indicated that the 127 tins of fish in question were damaged during handling by a forklift, which is a normal logistic occurrence in any commodity handling process.
She explained that when this happens, a certified health inspector is called in to inspect the products, determine the extent of the damage and declare the damaged products as not fit for consumption. The products are then removed to prevent any possible contamination as a precautionary measur
e.
‘This is not the first time such a drastic measure has been taken and it does not mean the products have expired,’ she added.
||Hoebes stated that the shared video is confusing to beneficiaries as it indirectly insinuates that the government is feeding them expired food, which is not true.
She stated that although they encourage members of the public to report any anomaly observed during food distribution, they equally advise that they refrain from politicising drought relief food assistance and sharing wrong information that could spread fear and confusion amongst beneficiaries.
||Hoebes indicated that the council remains committed to a proper drought relief food assistance distribution process.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency