Query: (PRO Edson) Haufiku from Veterans Affairs office, we the war veterans, want to know why you are not giving us the full amount of N$200 000. Mr President, please investigate that office. We need our money.
Response: Once again, Section 36 (1) of the Veterans Act (Act No. 2, 2008) stipulates; “Any registered veteran who wishes to obtain funding for a project must, in the prescribed form and manner, apply for such funding from the fund.” The Act further states that Veterans Affairs can assist a veteran with project funding at an amount up to a maximum of not more than N$200 000 per project.” Simply put, the above section indicates that starting a project is an option that every registered veteran can exercise and is not mandatory like the sms sender seems to understand.
Also, please take note that project funding can be an amount between N$1 000 to a maximum of N$200 000. Thus, Veterans Affairs makes payment according to the application funding and invoices supplied to us by the respective veterans. In other words, if a veteran supplies a quote of N$194 000, Veterans Affairs is only obliged, as per the Act, to pay the quoted amount and not N$200 000, as project funds are not mandatory funds such as the N$50 000 and N$20 000 lump sums that are earmarked for all veterans registered as such.
For the sake of simplicity, project funds are only availed to those veterans that apply with the intention to source a living from their projects, not only for themselves but also for their immediate families as well as the positive contribution to Namibia’s economic development.
Query: President Hage Geingob, can you please investigate the ministry of veterans’ affairs. We were not given any training of how to do projects and some people working in the ministry are the ones who convinced us to take a specific project. We need our N$200 000 now.
Response: The word project when used within the Veterans Affairs context, refers to all types of business activities with an economic value that are undertaken by veterans to either generate income or contribute to the improvement of their likelihoods or that of their immediate families as well as contributing to the economic development of Namibia.
It is true that veterans who applied and had their projects funded by Veterans Affairs were in the past not given tailor-made training in order to successfully run their projects, for the simple reason that such training is only given to veterans who requested for it. It is also a reality that there are some veterans whose projects remain stagnant after funding due to a lack of business acumen. We call upon them to reach out to our office in order [for us] to facilitate their training in the area in which they are pursuing their project/business interests. Funding for training of veterans in different economic sectors is available in Veterans Affairs.
To the veterans demanding N$200 000 in cash, it should be highlighted over again that no veteran is entitled to project funding in cash and that Veterans Affairs only pays the amount quoted as per the project application. The project funds are only there for those veterans who applied for project funding and are paid out to the suppliers and not in cash to veterans, except for the operational costs, which is 10 per cent of the requested amount and needs to be applied for.
It is the voluntary choice of any veteran to take up a project of his/her liking, and it is therefore false that Veterans Affairs employees are convincing veterans to take specific projects. Veterans Affairs can only advise and not convince veterans in terms of the type of projects they should engage in.
In conclusion, veterans are encouraged to take note of the efforts being made by the Government of the Republic of Namibia through the Veterans Affairs as per its mandate of integrating veterans into the economic and social mainstream of the Namibian economy
Contact person: Edson Haufiku, Senior Public Relations Officer, Veterans Affairs in the Presidency. Email address: edson.haufiku@mova.gov.na