The Namibian Defence Force is under scrutiny over alleged nepotism in the drafting of around 100 members to attend the Professional Qualified Officer Course currently underway at Rooikop base in Walvis Bay.

The selection of participants has sparked controversy within the NDF, with some members alleging they have been sidelined and not given the opportunity to participate in the highly priced course within the force. At the heart of the ruckus is that the completion of this course comes with an automatic promotion.

The force, however, maintains that aggrieved members should follow proper existing channels to voice their concerns, instead of running to the media. The NDF vehemently denies these allegations, deeming them unfounded.

Talk is also rife within the defence corridors that army top brass ensured their cronies, including drivers of army generals, relatives and spouses were selected for the course, ahead of qualified and experienced soldiers or members of the defence ministry. PQOC is a training programme offered by the Namibia Defence Force (NDF) to enhance the professional development of its non-commission officers. In essence, the course will allegedly propel inexperienced and – in some instances, members without tertiary qualifications to the front of the queue at the expense of seasoned members of the ageing force.

It is designed to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to advance in their careers within the force.

Upon completion, these candidates will occupy certain vacant positions within the force, and they will be qualified officers, it is said.

Favouritism

However, the selection process for the course has raised concerns about its fairness, with some members accusing the force of favouritism.

They argue that civilians, non-ministry members and individuals with connections to selection officials were prioritised over “qualified” NDF candidates, which has fuelled discontent within the ranks.

Some of the complainants are long-serving members of the force, who assert they possess high qualifications but were overlooked in favour of their juniors.

Upon completion of the course, these individuals, including those who never attended the basic military training, will automatically be promoted to the position of lieutenant.

This is seen by insiders as a deliberate attempt to legitimise unfair promotions within the army, with the disguise being the PQOC. “The generals decided to include their wives, girlfriends and relatives who are not part of the army but work in the ministry as civilians. Some of them don’t even have qualifications. These people will come back with two stars and get promoted.

“But these civilians were supposed to go through the basic military training and possibly go for the PQOC. What is so insulting is that when these people are sent, even without a degree or experience, some members with master’s degrees are left. When they return, they automatically get promoted and effectively become seniors to those who were previously their seniors or even more qualified,” a defence whistleblower said. It remains unclear what criteria were used to identify the trainees apart from the fact that the chief of the defence force (CDF), Martin Pinehas, has the supreme power to select anyone for the course.

In response to New Era’s questions, the ministry’s spokesperson, Petrus Shilumbu, stressed CDF’s unfettered powers.

Additionally, he said, various criteria are considered during the appointment process, such as competency, behaviour and qualifications.

“One issue with our people is their unrealistic expectations of everyone being able to attend the course at the same time, which is simply not feasible due to capacity constraints. Some of the complainants might even be some of the people who consistently show up late or rarely attend the office and can expect to receive an appointment during the promotion process,” she stated.

Streets to army

New Era also obtained a document in which the chief of staff for human resources, air commodore Karetja Muhenje, requested uniforms for 10 candidates scheduled to attend the course. Of these candidates, seven are reported to be ministry employees, while the remaining three are neither employees of the ministry nor members of the force.

“They were picked from the streets,” an insider said.

Asked about this, Shilumbu said: “The ministry can induct older recruits who specialised in certain fields as required by the NDF; the age limit is 40 years. The general regulations relating to NDF state that a person may be appointed as an officer in the force if such a person has other attributes and qualifications, which, in the opinion of the CDF, are required for their training for and the execution of the duties attached to the type of post to which they are to be appointed”.

Shilumbu disclosed that out of the 10 candidates, four were deemed unqualified and thus did not attend the training, while the other three were “recruited from the streets”.

“You must take into consideration that someone can be misled. However, we have noticed that those four are not qualified; that is why they are currently not part of the initial group,” he said.

According to Shilumbu, three of the 10 individuals with no force numbers are licensed pilots who received training in Namibia and South Africa.

He noted that hiring qualified pilots is a more cost-effective approach than training them from scratch, which can be a costly process.

“Mind you, our force’s current pilots are ageing, there is a need to inject new blood,” he added.

The spokesperson characterised the recruitment of qualified pilots as a cost-saving measure.

Military programme

NDF also offers its members a range of developmental programmes, including enrolment in the Military and Science programme with the University of Namibia.

Ministry statistics from 2020-2023 show that out of the 62 individuals (both soldiers and civilians) enrolled in the course, 32 have graduated, of which 19 are soldiers.

Shilumbu said this course is essential in equipping aspiring militants with knowledge in the field.

He emphasised that officers with only grade 12 are limited, whereas officers with military science qualifications are capable of analysing and contextualising issues, translating policies, interpreting laws and documents, presenting research papers and conducting research in fields, such as military, geography, aeronautical and nautical science.

“We interact with international partners – be it SADC, AU and UN – and as an officer, you should be able to distinguish yourself at that but not embarrass the organisation and state as a Namibian soldier,” he said.

The NDF, he added, also faces a brain drain. “For a number of years, there has been a huge gap identified, which is left mostly by professionals, such as lawyers, logistics, technicians, medical doctors, medics and pilots. The main contributing factors are retirements, resignations for greener pastures and transfers. But other equally important fields in the NDF were also considered for the course. Therefore, this course was then specifically designed to fill in that gap,” he justified.

- ashikolo@nepc.com.na