Tsumeb
Veterans of the liberation struggle are demanding that the Ministry of Veterans Affairs give them cash rather than buy them equipment to start businesses.
The ministry currently runs a programme through which veterans can apply for funding to start their own projects, but according to the procedures of this programme, the ministry insists on buying them equipment to start their business.
The programme funds projects and equipment worth up to N$200 000 to help the veterans initiate their own cash-generating projects. However, in the regions the purpose of the programme seems to be misunderstood by many veterans, who feel they are entitled to N$200 000 in cash.
The veterans now want N$200 000 in cash allocated for business projects on top of the N$20 000 grants that they are entitled to.
The spokesperson at the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, Edson Haufiku, said it was important veterans to understand that the Veterans Act does not allow for the ministry to pay lump sums in cash.
“We work within the law and it is important that people understand the ministry cannot exchange equipment for money. The veterans are entitled to grants that the ministry currently pays, which vary from N$20 000 to N$50 000, depending on the timeframes the veteran was in exile.”
Haufiku further explained the aim of the project was to help liberation war veterans to generate money for themselves through businesses of their own choice.
“The main aim of the projects is to get the veterans in the mainstream of the economy and by so doing also strengthen the economy. We also look at other countries globally that pay veterans and none of them pay the veterans, instead of buying them equipment. Nowhere in the world is it done that way and we need to obey the law,” he noted.
Other concerns raised by elderly veterans centre on the fact that registrations and approvals of projects by the ministry were taking too long.
Responding to why the processes were taking so long, Haufuku said about 29 654 Namibians are registered as war veterans with the ministry and with the limited funds made available to the ministry it is a cumbersome process to attend to all veterans’ needs on time.
“Yes, it is true that applications and some processes take long, but we work within our means. We attend to veterans when we have the money available, but unfortunately the ministry will not be able to attend to all the veterans with the limited funds,” he stated.
Haufiku however noted that Vice President Dr Nickey Iyambo, through the Veterans Board, has instructed the ministry to work on reducing the backlog of applications. In the current budget year the veterans ministry received N$1.4 billion from central government for grants and projects of war veterans.