2016-01-13Staff Report 2 Windhoek It has come to the attention of Veterans Affairs in the Office of the Vice President that an unscrupulous fraudster(s) in the //Karas Region is illegally soliciting funds from veterans of the national liberation struggle, reportedly to have their Individual Veterans Projects (IVPs) approved and promptly paid out, said Edson Haufiku the veterans’ spokesman. Information gathered by Veterans Affairs indicates that a certain individual going by the name of ‘Kamati’ has been contacting a number of elderly veterans in Keetmanshoop, requesting them to e-wallet an amount of N$2 000 to the number 081 7028322 in order to have their IVP’s paid out within a period of two days, Haufiku said on Tuesday Veterans Affairs is taking this latest development very seriously and issued a stern warning to all registered veterans of the liberation struggle to refrain from paying any money to this conman or any other individual claiming to be an employee of Veterans Affairs. “All project approvals and payments are subject to an official correspondence from Veterans Affairs, by way of an official IVP approval notification letter and the subsequent transfer of project funds through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) directly into the bank account of the supplier of goods as agreed between the individual veteran and the supplier,” he said. Veterans are immediately requested to get the person’s name and the department in which he/she is employed and to refrain from paying any money. Veterans Affairs is mandated to fund IVPs of veterans who choose to engage themselves in the socio-economic upliftment of themselves and their families and does not require any payment to a third person in order to facilitate this process. Veterans are, therefore, cautioned to be vigilant at all times and are urged to report any suspicious communications from individuals claiming to be an employee of Veterans Affairs directly to the Veterans Affairs office in that specific region, the office of the permanent secretary at (061) 269 3003, or that of the senior public relations officer at (061) 296 3028. Veterans Affairs will not be held liable for money paid to any devious individual by any veteran who does not heed this call, Haufiku further cautioned. 2016-01-13Staff Report 2
