Govt needs N$1.9bn to settle unpaid veterans' grants

The Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs needs N$1.9 billion to settle outstanding individual veterans’ projects (IVPs) for 11 000 registered liberation veterans who are still waiting for financial assistance.

Major General Petrus Nathinge, the deputy executive director for strategic policy, research and coordination, told the National Council standing committees last Thursday that only 15 000 of the country's 26 000 registered veterans have so far received funding under the IVP programme.

The IVP is a once-off N$200 000 grant provided to registered liberation veterans to establish income-generating projects and improve their livelihoods.

"The amount that is required for us to pay for that is N$1.9 billion," Nathinge said, adding that the ministry spends an average of N$81 million each month on veterans' monthly financial grants.

He said the ministry faces a N$161 million funding deficit under its veterans affairs subsidies budget, which finances IVPs and other grants.

"This is where now the IVPs and the grants are paid, which means the veterans will still be airing their grievances," Nathinge told the committees.

He said the veterans' welfare programme extends beyond financial assistance and includes the identification and registration of veterans, medical services, psychosocial support and other welfare interventions.

However, he noted that the ministry is no longer constructing houses or acquiring farms for the resettlement of veterans.

Nathinge added that the ministry continues to preserve Namibia's liberation heritage by identifying and marking the graves of veterans, erecting monuments, establishing outdoor museums, preserving historical materials and artefacts, documenting the country's liberation history and erecting tombstones on veterans' graves to ensure they are not forgotten.

September deadline

Beyond veterans' benefits, Nathinge painted a bleak picture of the ministry's overall financial position, warning that a wider budget shortfall is threatening the operational readiness of the

Namibian Defence Force.

He said the ministry requested N$8.601 billion for the current financial year but was allocated approximately N$7.536 billion, leaving a funding gap of over N$1 billion.

The shortfall has already created deficits for personnel costs, food supplies and other operational expenses.

"We have a shortage on paying our personnel. We have a deficit on food," Nathinge said.

He also warned that funds allocated for goods and services are only expected to sustain operations until September, after which the ministry could face serious challenges if additional funding is not secured during the mid-term budget review.

"Whatever we have is only taking us up to September. After September, we have issues, serious ones," Nathinge said.

Nathinge also cautioned that unpaid utility bills could disrupt operations at military bases.

"NamWater will soon be closing the taps, water, electricity to our bases. We will not be able to train," he said.

Nathinge said much of the ministry's allocation is absorbed by personnel costs, with 68% of the budget going towards salaries and employee benefits and 14% to goods and services. Only 5% is allocated to capital assets, while operational equipment and the construction of military bases each receive 4%, with subsidies accounting for just 1%.

"Our development budget was supposed to be bigger than our operational budget, but now what we have is the opposite," he said.

Appealing to members of the National Council ahead of the mid-term budget review, Nathinge urged lawmakers to support additional funding to ensure the defence force remains operational.