REPUBLIC OF NMIIBV\
MINISTRY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Private Bag 13407 Tel: +264 61 2963000
Windhoek, NA.\lUBIA Fax: +264 61221615
Sokolic Building
Bannhoff Street, I
Highlights of Government Efforts
Towards Addressing the Plight
of Veterans of
the National Liberation Struggle
for
Namibia
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All official c~;;~spondence must be addressed to the Permanent Secretary
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Highlights of Government Efforts Towards
Addressing the Plight of Veterans of the
National. Liberation Struggle for Namibia
Honourable Speaker,
Honourable Members,
It is a great honour and privilege to have this opportunity to address
this August House and to share with you Honourable Members the
Government efforts since 1990, in addressing the plight of veterans of
the National Liberation Struggle of Namibia.
Namibia achieved Independence on 21 March 1990, closing the dark
chapter of foreign occupation and rule which stretched over one hundred
years and ushering in the dawn of freedom, independence and
democracy. This was brought about by Namibian gallant sons and
daughters through their untiring efforts. Many of these people, the
veterans, sacrificed their lives, their properties and even their dignity.
I would therefore, before I proceed with my statement, like to salute the
veterans of the National Liberation Struggle:
• These are people who were members of the liberation forces;
• These are people who consistently and persistently participated in
the armed struggle or engaged in any political, diplomatic or
underground activity in furtherance the liberation of Namibia;
• I am talking about those who were convicted and sentenced to
imprisonment, people who were severely beaten up or killed by the
oppressors whether in Namibia or elsewhere, because of their
participation in the liberation struggle or of any offence closely
connectedto the struggle for Namibia's freedom. . .'
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That is why Namibia as a country, under the SWAPO lead Government,
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continues to recognise and appreciate their efforts in bringing about the
freedom that we are enjoying today. I am aware that not all their
aspirations have been met. I am also aware that the veterans' needs are
complex and sensitive, because they are from different backgrounds:
their needs are different and they are at different levels of development.
Some are poor, others are able to make ends meet and a few are
relatively well off. If the issues of veterans are not handled with
considerable care, they could bring forth conflict and upheaval, resulting
in undesired outcomes. It is therefore important that we handle the
issues and needs of veterans with adequate consideration and due
attention.
It is for this reason that the Government immediately after
Independence devised a number of interventions to address their needs
as a way of integrating them into society, both socially and
economically.
The purpose of my statement is to brief you, Honourable Members, what
the Government has done in addressing the plight of veterans in this
country since Independence. In my briefing, I will also inform you on
what is being planned for the veterans by my Ministry, something that
needs your support.
Honourable Speaker;
Honourable Members:
We may recall that after the cease fire which was signed by South Africa
and SWAPO in 1989,~.the fighting between the People's Liberation
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Struggle Army of Namibia (PLAN) and the South African Army
occupation ceased. The last South African troops departed from
Namibia, and the country gained its Independence on March 21, 1990.
Many Namibians who were in exile returned home. I was honoured by
SWAPO to have been appointed to lead the first group of people who
returned from exile on 12 June 1989. After the repatriation, Namibians
participated in the United Nations supervised elections in November
1989, which resulted in SWAPO winning a majority of over fifty percent
of the vote.
At the beginning of the new Government, not much was done for the
freedom fighters. However, later on the Government realised the need
to address as a matter of urgency the welfare of the freedom fighters.
For this reason, various attempts were made to address the plight of
veterans in Namibia by introducing several well-intended programmes to
uplift their living conditions but not much success has been achieved.
Some of the Government's efforts to address the plight of former
freedom fighters before the establishment of the Ministry of
Veterans Affairs include the following:
1. The first initiative to assist veterans was handing over of animals for
animal husbandry purposes to some veterans. It is unfortunate that
this programme did not benefit many veterans as planned.
2. The second intervention was the creation of the Development Brigade
(DBC) with the aim to empower veterans with skill development
through training in fields of agriculture and construction .
3. \'
.. There was the introduction
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of the, Social Integration
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Proqramrne•.':" ~,for
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Ex-Combatants (SIPE). SIPE was created to contribute to the
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reintegration of ex-combatants into the civil society by providing
them with self employment opportunities. This programme targeted
the 12,000 able bodied ex-combatants who have the potential to
become economically active and who were registered by the
Committee of Deputy Ministers.
4. The fourth intervention was the creation of the Peace Project. The
Peace Project was born out of recommendations of the report of the
Committee of Deputy Ministers in 1996. The purpose of this Project
was to integrate veterans into a number of public offices such as
Defence, Police, Correctional Services and State Owned Enterprises.
It was through this exercise that the field force (which is now under
the Ministry of Safety and Security) was also established and many
ex-combatants, both PLAN and SWATF, were recruited to serve
there. On the other hand, ex-combatants with specific qualifications
were integrated into the civil service. It is encouraging to note that
all the ex-combatants that have been absorbed into different
institutions continue to benefit from these initiatives and their lives
have improved considerably.
5. The list is long Honourable Members, but I will fail in my duty if I do
not mention the establishment of the War Veterans Subvention Act
which was promulgated in 1999 through which the War Veterans
Trust Fund was created. The objective of the War Veterans Trust
Fund was to pay a monthly subvention to war veterans an~
dependants of deceased war veterans in accordance with the
provision of the War Veteran Subvention Act. Due to lack of data on
veterans then, only a small proportion of the ex-fighters benefited
from this fund.,
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6. The Government also provided houses to some elderly and disabled
PLAN fighters and former Robin Istanders. To date, ninety six (96)
houses have been built and the programme is continuing but
covering other categories of veterans.
In monetary terms, the Namibian Government so far spent
millions of dollars on ex-combatant programmes that I just
enumerated the period between 1990 and 2006.
These programmes however, have been criticised for two main reasons:
Firstly, they have been very expensive on a per capita basis and ended
up benefiting a few. Secondly, some programmes have been poorly
coordinated involving a multitude of organisations and lacked clear
organisational mechanisms.
Other challenges experienced in implementing these interventions were
that (a) they did not have clearly defined goals, outcomes and outputs
within a set time frame; (b) the lack of basic data on aspects such as
the total number of male and female veterans, their location, levels of
education and skills and their needs. Without such information,
meaningful programmes could not be designed to effectively support
them.
Another challenge the Government faced at that time was the
coordination of these activities. This means, there was no single focal
entity to coordinate all the efforts of the Government aimed at
addressing the plight of veterans in the country and evaluate the
effectiveness of the Government initiatives and its longer-term viability.
This has led to a situation where the achievements of the Government in
supporting the veterans remained largely unknown to the wider group of
ex-combatants and the general public.
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It was against this background that His Excellency, Comrade -
'Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of the Republic of Namibia, by
the power vested in him by Article 23, sub section (3) (g) of the
Constitution, created the Ministry of Veterans Affairs in October
2006. The mandate of the newly created Ministry is to
coordinate the efforts on all aspects related to addressing the
plight of veterans in the country and to ensure that the needs
and aspirations of the ex-combatants and other Veterans of the
Namibian liberation struggle are properly addressed and
coordinated.
Namibia now has a Ministry of Veterans Affairs which has put in place
the necessary machineries to enable it to function according to its
mandate. Before it started implementing its mandate, the first step of
the new Ministry was to formulate and have an act of Parliament
enacted, replacing the existing War Veterans Subvention Act of 1999
which was very limited in terms of beneficiaries. The enactment of the
Veterans Act is the appreciation of the role of veterans played in the
national liberation struggle.
It is also the State's acknowledgement of its responsibility to provide
financial support to enable veterans and dependants of veterans
reintegrate better in the Namibian society. While providing for financial
assistance, the Veterans Act also aims at! assisting veterans and
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dependants of veterans to be involved in economic and commercial
projects of their own choice to complement the integration processes.
Furthermore, the Veterans Act defines who a veteran is and makes
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all
provt.gio'i1~:·f6r those people who consider, thernsetves veterans to be J" •~
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, registered. Through registration of veterans, the Government would be
able to:
a) determine the number of veterans in the country;
b) determine their social and economic status; and
c) determine their form of contribution to the National Liberation
Struggle;
The information collected through registration process will assist
Government to improve the service delivered to veterans, in formulating
appropriate laws, policies and interventions. The Veterans Act requires
that even those veterans who were registered under the Social
Integration Programme for Ex-Combatants (SIPE) to be registered and
be approved by the Veterans Board. Equally, people who waged the
struggle for the National Liberation underground at home are also to be
registered as veterans.
Honourable Members,
No I am going to inform you about the Government efforts by the
Ministry of Veterans Affairs since it was established:
Some of the programmes currently undertaken by the Ministry to
address the plight of veterans include among others:
Support Package Programme
The Ministry has put in a place ~he Support Package Programme that
provides the following assistance to veterans:
1. A Monthly Financial Assistance (subvention) of N$2,OOO is
paid to unemployed and those veterans whose income is below the tax
·r. ;threshold. When a deceased veteran who was receiving r
a ...nonthlv
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assistance subvention is survived by dependants (spouse and/or
. children under the age of 18), the spouse is entitled to receive fifty five
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(55°10) per cent of the N$2,OOO and the children are entitled to receive
an equal amount of forty five per cent (45) of the same N$2,OOO to be
equally divided among the children.
2. Under the same Support Package Programme, the Ministry also
provides medical assistance to veterans with health problems related
to the liberations struggle. Veterans with physical disability are assisted
to purchase prosthetics, mobility aids, hearing aids etc.
Veterans with war related injuries are assisted with the cover of medical
treatment at Government health institutions and facilities. For the
2009/2010 financial year, the Ministry has assisted two hundred (200)
veterans with prosthetics, mobility aids (orthopaedic shoes, wheel
chairs, artificial legs), spectacles, dermatological treatment, respiratory
systems and other treatment of war related ailments of the liberation
struggle.
3. Through the same programme, veterans who are traumatised by
the war or by the effects of the war of the liberation struggle will receive
counselling to be able to cope with the current situation. A consultation
Stakeholders Workshop has taken place to determine what we can do in
this regard and how the Stakeholders can assist the Ministry of Veterans
Affairs in years ahead.
Projects
The Ministry is implementing projects as provided for by the Veterans
Act, 2008. This will be a national programme to cater for all Namibian
.', veterans who are in need. ',. '':;'""1 • , ..,;-" "'r \" .
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As a benefit, all veterans are entitled to initiate and implement projects
of their own choice to' a maximum of N$200,000.OO per approved viable
project. At the end of September 2010, the Ministry has received four
hundred (400) project proposals for possible funding by the Veterans
Fund.
This is a big number and is also an indication that veterans are eager to
run their own projects. It should be mentioned that the process of
approving individual veterans projects has not yet started as the
necessary mechanisms are being finalised.
Other benefits planned for the veterans and already approved by
Cabinet include:
• Payment of Once-off Gratuity to Veterans of the national
Liberation Struggle
Another form of recognition of the veterans' contribution to the National
Liberation Struggle which Cabinet has approved recently is the payment
of fifty thousand Namibia dollars (N$50,OOO) per veterans as a
lump sum (once-payment) to all veterans irrespective of gender. The
modality on how to pay veterans this money is being worked out.
I should mention to you, Honourable Members that the payment of
this lum9 sum will require Government to make available two billion
Namibia tDoliars (N $2.0 billion) to pay an estimated forty thousand
(40,000) veterans for a period of three years.
May I inform you too, Honourable Members, that while it has
been agreed to pay a lump sum of N$50,OOO per veteran as a
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token of appreciation to those who are alive today, consideration
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will be given of those who sacrificed their lives during and after
the struggle at an appropriate time after a thorough consultation
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with relevant institutions, for THEIR BLOOD WATERS OUR
FREEDOM.
• Educational and Training Grants for Veteran and their
Dependants
It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs to ensure the
wellbeing of veterans and their dependants. This is also in line with the
Third National Development Plan as a tool for implementing Vision 2030,
which advocate to investing in people through education and skills
development.
The purpose of the Educational and Training Grant is aimed at providing
financial support to some veterans and dependants of veterans who
wish to further their studies or obtain vocational skills at institutions of
higher learning in Namibia to enable them to compete in the labour
market and secure employment. This will ultimately result in the
improvement of their living conditions. The programme however, is not
a replacement of the scholarship programmes implemented by the
Ministry of Education.
• Funeral Grant and Expenses
The purpose of the Funeral Grant is to ensure that all deceased veterans
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of the liberation struggle are buried in a respectable and dignified
manner. This benefit will be implemented through a funeral scheme
which will be set up by the Ministry for veterans where a premium is
paid to a company yet to be identified to run the scheme on behalf of
the Mini?~ry'1The money to.pav; for t~is.iwill be paid from the Veterans
Fund.
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The Funeral Grant will cover for any or all of the following services or
cost: preparation of the body; mortuary fees; coffin; wreath; qravesite:
transport of casket within the borders of Namibia; cremation fees
(including urn); columbarium/niche and tombstone. This means that
N$20,OOO will be used for each burial of which N$10,OOO is earmarked
for the purchasing and erection of the tombstone and the rest is for
other services.
• Land Resettlement Benefit
The Ministry of Veterans Affairs envisage assisting veterans with
resettlement through participation in national programmes on
resettlement implemented by the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement.
Honourable Speaker,
Honourable Members:
Once again, while the interventions aimed at improving the lives of
veterans appear to be few; the amount of money that the Government
has made available and that still needs to be made available, is huge,
totalling N$3.4 billion.
I would like to state that the notion and sentiments that are expressed
by our people that little or nothing has been done for the veterans of the
liberation struggle is not true! The SWAPO lead Government has done a
lot and will continue to do more for the people who brought about the
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Independence of this country, just as it is done in other countries.
I must admit however, that the process of having all these benefits
realised is sIOW",":¥.8S, this is so because one has to' make sure the
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appropriate mechanisms are put in place to ensure that only those who
are eligible receive the benefits. What is important is the .thought and
consideration that the Government has on veterans.
In conclusion Honourable Speaker, Honourable Members, it is the wish
of our Government through the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, to ensure
that veterans should know that we acknowledge that their contribution
to the National Liberation Struggle was worthwhile. We will therefore,
address and redress their plight in order to console and help to
rehabilitate them: economically, socially, morally, physically, and
spiritually before they depart for the mundane world from the country
they so dearly loved, fought for and liberated.
I hope my statement has given you some insights on what has been
done and what will be done by the SWAPO lead Government in
addressing the plight of people who fought and brought about
independence in this country.
I thank you!
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