Placido Hilukilwa
A 43-YEAR-OLD former construction worker from Oshakati is fighting to have his disability grant reinstated while relying on traditional blacksmith skills to feed his family.
Ernest Haihambo worked as an unskilled labourer in Swakopmund’s construction industry without permanent employment. His livelihood changed after he partially lost his eyesight to cataracts in his left eye.
In 2020, the Amumnghambya/Oshoopala resident qualified for the government’s monthly disability grant, which required review by an eye specialist every two years. The grant was stopped last year.
“I am currently fighting to have it restored,” said Haihambo.
In the meantime, Haihambo acquired a mahangu field in the southern Cunene province of Angola, in an area inhabited by members of the San community from whom he learned blacksmith skills that now help him make a living.
He crafts and sells traditional weapons and tools, including bows, arrows, axes and knives. A bow with two arrows costs N$200, while a single arrow is priced at N$50. A traditional two-bladed knife (omukonda) sells for N$200, and a small traditional axe costs N$150.
“What I earn by selling these handicrafts ensures that my family does not go to bed on an empty stomach, but it is not enough for a comfortable living,” he said, adding that demand is limited. “Only those who appreciate culture buy them mostly for decoration, unlike in the past when omukonda and bows and arrows were used for self-protection and hunting. So, there are really not many customers.”
