By Nuusita Ashipala
ONGWEDIVA – Nine hundred and ninety Namibian Defence Force (NDF) recruits are expected to graduate as trained soldiers today from Oluno Military Base in Ondangwa.
The trainees are the 12th recruits training intake in the force since independence. The first intake was in 1996.
The 12th training intake initially commenced with 2 000 trainees.
A thousand of the trainee recruits were based at Osona while the other 1 000 were based at Oluno Military Base.
The graduation ceremony for the trainess at the Osona base was held on Monday this week , with Minister of Defence Nahas Angula as the guest of honour.
Defence spokesman Major Petrus Shilumbu said 11 of the 1000 trainee recruits based at Oluno were disqualified for various reasons including the inability to adapt to the strenous physical or psychological pressure.
“Eleven recruits were disqualified due to various reasons such as ill health, criminal records, or could not adapt to physical fitness,” stated Shilumbu.
The defence minister at the graduation ceremony at Osona base on Monday said it was sad to see young Namibians missing out on opportunities owing to criminal behaviour.
“It is one thing to be withdrawn from training because of health conditions, but it is totally another thing to be withdrawn because of desertion, criminal records and forgery,” remarked Angula.
Similarly, Angula feels Namibia cannot afford to have its young people involved in criminality, because that does not only deny them the opportunity to be recruited into the defence force but also limits their chances of getting employment elsewhere and being considered as good citizens.
Meanwhile, Shilumbu said the trainees would be called trainees until they take their oath today as members of the NDF.
He said the training accorded the recruits was aimed at distinguishing future potential soldiers.
According to Shilumbu the training covered basic military subjects that required them to become professional soldiers.
After graduation the recruits will either specialise in the army, airforce or navy.