A monthly social grant could be the only source of income supporting an entire family.

Yet accessing this lifeline can mean spending hours waiting under a blazing sun and sometimes struggling just to get through the gate.

This was a case at Opuwo.

Pensioners, people with disabilities, carers of orphans and vulnerable children, and unemployed residents line up in the Opuwo, Nampost office to collect their monthly grants.

At the entrance, some beneficiaries struggle to get inside earlier, with the elderly and other vulnerable people caught in the rush, as people push for a chance to be served first.

“It is a queue for the pension grant, disability grant, OVC grant and unemployment grant,” a frustrated Obed Muheue said.

For some families, it is the money that puts food on the table, pays for basic needs and keeps the household going until the next payment.

Beneficiaries stated that accessing this lifeline should not mean enduring long queues, the heat and a struggle at the entrance.

They called for better facilities, more service points and a process that allows them to receive their grants with dignity.