Veterans Deserve More Than Promises
Namibia’s liberation veterans occupy a unique place in the country’s history. They are not simply another category of beneficiaries in a government social programme. Many participated in the struggle that culminated in independence, often at considerable personal cost. Their contribution is part of the foundation on which the Namibian state was built. That is precisely […]
Namibia’s liberation veterans occupy a unique place in the country’s history. They are not simply another category of beneficiaries in a government social programme. Many participated in the struggle that culminated in independence, often at considerable personal cost. Their contribution is part of the foundation on which the Namibian state was built.
That is precisely why the latest revelation that approximately 11 000 registered liberation veterans remain without Individual Veterans’ Projects (IVPs) deserves serious national attention.
The figures presented by the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs are stark. Of approximately 26 000 registered liberation veterans, only about 15 000 have benefited from the once-off N$200 000 IVP grant. Funding the remaining beneficiaries is estimated to require N$1.9 billion.
This is not merely an accounting problem. It is a question of whether a commitment made by the state can be honoured in a reasonable and predictable manner.
