Query: Abel Namangolwa would like to know about the veterans. He wants to know why is the N$2 200 not paid to each and every veteran whether they are employed or not?
Response: Veterans Affairs is guided by the Veterans Act No. 2 of 2008 and the Amendment Act No. 3 of 2013. As per Section 29 (2) of the Principal Act, persons entitled to benefit from the Monthly Financial Assistance, which is currently N$2 200, are the registered veterans that are unemployed and those employed but earn a salary less than the prescribed amount. Veterans Affairs, therefore, cannot operate outside the prescribed provisions of the law.
Query: Nuusiku Ndilipomwene Iindongo would like to ask about the children of war veterans whose repatriation papers are lost. What will happen to the kids since government is only dealing with the kids that were born in exile?
Response: (a) Most of the children who were repatriated to Namibia were repatriated under the care of their parents. If there are children who lost their repatriation forms they can source the duplicates from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration. (b) It is false to insinuate that government is only taking care of the children born in exile, as the mandate of government is to take care of all Namibian children, irrespective of whether you were born in exile or in Namibia. The government continues to provide for their employment, education and health care.
Query: Auguste Makaya asks why does the Ministry of Veterans Affairs need the business plans of ex-combatants to get their N$200 000 for projects? These people are uneducated, and pay people to draft business plans for them. Once the business starts they make a big loss within two months. Auguste suggests the ministry gives them cash then they use it for their own desires.
Response: (a) Section 36 (1) of the Veterans Act (Act No. 2 2008) stipulates: “Any registered veteran who wishes to obtain funding for a project must, in the prescribed form and manner, apply for such funding from the fund.” The Act further states that Veterans Affairs can assist a veteran with project funding at an amount up to a maximum of not more than N$200 000 per project.” Simply put, the above section indicates that starting a project is an option that every registered veteran can exercise and is not an entitlement.
(b) Those veterans that are not confident enough to come up with business proposals for their projects due to some reasons are being invited to approach Veterans Affairs and all its regional offices in order to be assisted in the drafting of their business proposals. In addition, Veterans Affairs has developed a business plan guideline, which can assist all interested veterans in developing a comprehensive business plan. These business plan guidelines are available at all Veterans Affairs regional offices countrywide. Thus, it is illegal for the veteran to pay any individual to draft his/her project proposal, because the mechanism to assist the veteran in that regard is already in place.
(c) The aim of the government is to assist the veterans to initiate projects to ensure that veterans are integrated into the socio-economic development of the country through generating income to uplift their living standards and that of their immediate families. Projects are businesses that are assisting the country to alleviate poverty, reduce unemployment as well as uplift the economic development of the country. Through running of their own businesses, veterans will have an opportunity to expand their businesses thereby increasing their profits and wealth, and have the opportunity to determine their own destiny.
Veterans are encouraged to take note of the efforts being made by the Government of the Republic of Namibia through Veterans Affairs as per its mandate of integrating veterans into the socio-economic mainstream of the Namibian economy
• Edson Haufiku, Senior PRO, Veterans Affairs: Office of the Vice President. Email: edson.haufiku@mova.gov.na