WINDHOEK – The Ministry of Defence will spend part of N$654 million to carry out several construction activities aimed at strengthening the country’s military, and will train over 3 500 recruits from now to 2018.
About N$450 million of that money will be channeled towards research and development.
The information is contained in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework for 2015/16 and 2017/18 tabled in parliament last week.
Construction activities entail military bases at Mpacha, Keetmanshoop, Gobabis, Walvis Bay,Karibib and an army battle school at Oshivelo.
During the current framework, several existing military bases such as at Osona, Luiperdsvallei and Otjiwarongo will be upgraded.
Soldiers have in recent years bemoaned the appalling living conditions they claim to be subjected to. They claim to live in dilapidated bases that have seen little or no maintenance since independence – 25 years ago.
Meanwhile, government is going ahead with plans to construct a military referral hospital worth N$800 million to serve military personnel and VIPs in the country.
Government will spend N$99 million from now until 2018, after having already spent about N$22 million on the project since 2013. The remaining N$640 million will be allocated from 2019 onwards until the completion of the project.
According to the MTEF document: “The hospital will avail better health care to the serving men and women and their families. This hospital will also ensure discretion during combat situations.”
August Twenty Six UBM Construction – a subsidiary of the army’s commercial arm August 26 Holdings – is expected to feature prominently when it comes to the scramble for tenders to carry out construction of the hospital.
Former defence minister Nahas Angula last year motivated the need for the hospital by stating: “It is not a good thing when our soldiers are admitted in general hospitals because it is sometimes overcrowded and the care is not good.”
“We need this hospital because if you have a foreign visitor, like a head of state, you do not want to take him or her to a commercial hospital but you would want to take care of them in a special facility,” explained Angula at the time.