2014-11-14Mathias Haufiku WINDHOEK - Over N$300 million was spent during the 2013/14 financial year so that VIP drivers and bodyguards could safely ferry and guard the country’s VIPs around the country. The VIP directorate within the Namibian Police currently has 1 861 officers who are specially tasked to guard the country’s very important persons. This information was provided by NamPol recently, but the figure is only for personnel and not for other activities that the directorate has to carry out such as equipping vehicles with safety features, weapons and related expenditure. Namibia currently has 22 ministers and 19 deputy ministers who receive 24-hour protection. Those entitled to protection include the president, prime minister and his deputy, cabinet ministers, speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly, chairperson and vice chairperson of the National Council, governors and other VIPs. The bodyguards have to undergo a four-week VIP Body Guard course. VIP operations include guarding politicians and visiting dignitaries from other countries. On average each government official classified as a VIP has at least three safetyman by his side, a bodyguard, driver and a guard at the private residence. VIP officers have in the past complained of alleged abuse at the hands of their principals whom they claim do not take their needs into consideration. The complaints ranged from working long hours, lack of meals during working hours and mistreatment from those they guard. “Sometimes you drive the principal to the restaurant and you wait in the car until they finish eating, while you don’t eat and you are not allowed to go and get food for yourself,” one of the VIP police officers was quoted saying earlier this year by one of the local daily newspapers. “If you drive away while the principal is eating just to get a quick bite, you get reprimanded for driving the car. But I am hungry because I have been driving and protecting the person the entire day from morning without going out of sight.” Another bodyguard said as part of their job, they are at times asked to taste food before the VIPs eat, to ensure it is not laced with poison. “We are also human beings. How do we stay hungry the entire day, except for tasting the food and afterward go outside? The worst part of it all is that you have to stay with the person until whatever time of the day they want to go home,” moaned the guard. Head of NamPol’s Human Resources Directorate Commissioner Abed Kashihakumwa recently said this number is not sufficient considering the VIP operations. Head of NamPol’s VIP Directorate Commissioner Ananias Muzile recently refused to divulge any further details relating to the VIP police. “This is very sensitive information which cannot be made public. If made public it will provide some people with the information they need to devise their activities,” said Muzile. New Era wanted to determine the staff backlog within the directorate and challenges facing the VIP protection directorate when it comes to operations. Although government spent millions to avail security personnel to VIPs, New Era recently reported about Cabinet ministers driving around without any protection. Some ministers are said to be offloading their drivers especially during the holiday periods in order to spend time with relatives, while others place their drivers on unofficial leave for activities which they think requires privacy. Also there are ministers who would drive their official vehicles to and from parliament for sessions, mainly due to the fact that they do not want their drivers to languish aimlessly around parliament’s premises while the session is on. By Mathias Haufiku 2014-11-14Mathias Haufiku
