Grootfontein
President Hage Geingob on Monday warned members of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) to desist from committing murder, armed robberies and gender-based violence (GBV) as this blots the nation’s social fabric, which needs urgent and focused action.
Addressing the NDF senior command in his capacity as the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces that includes the army, navy and the air force, Geingob expressed his disappointment in having read about isolated incidences of violent crimes perpetrated by a few rogue elements in the armed forces, which does not bode well for the image of the force. “As your commander-in-chief, I direct that these negative behaviours come to an end and that these perpetrators of these violent crimes be rooted out of the armed forces.
“These few individuals with unbecoming behaviour do not belong to the force,” stressed Geingob.
But he commended the majority of uniformed members of the force for consistently exhibiting excellent levels of skills and discipline, while urging them to move away from the old ways of approaching national security issues and adopt modern and innovative methodologies in dealing with the myriad of threats facing the nation in the modern world.
“Some of these threats are unorthodox and complex and we should therefore be innovative in our approach. Securing a country as big as Namibia, with its large borders of land, air and sea is daunting, thus it requires concerted effort and supreme coordination among our security forces,” noted Geingob.
The president further encouraged the force to come on board in the fight against poverty, saying poverty is a complex enemy that requires a multifaceted approach.
“It is imperative that our armed forces devise strategies on how they can contribute to the war against poverty. For example, the army has several farms across the country where sections can be earmarked for the cultivation of crops that can be distributed via the food bank,” said Geingob.