Venaani labels recommendations as ‘absurd’

Recommendations:

• 20% of dividends from natural resources

• Construct military school to discipline youth

• Promote intergenerational dialogue between youth and veterans

• Establish an investment company for war vets

Government should allocate 20% of dividends from natural resources to the War Veterans Fund for their development and sustainability, a parliamentary committee has recommended.

This recommendation is included in the parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs, defence and security’s report titled 'Report on the benchmarking visit to its portfolio counterpart committee of the parliament of Zimbabwe.'

The committee is chaired by Swapo Party back bencher Leevi Katoma.

“The government should allocate 20% shares from all natural resource dividends to the war veterans fund for the development and sustainability of war veterans,” the report states.

Significant benefits

The committee also proposed the establishment of a veterans investment corporation to grow veterans' assets.

“This corporation would be entrusted with making investments to subsidise and grow the fund of veterans of the liberation struggle. It would also supplement fiscal resources for the improvement of the welfare of the veterans of the liberation struggle and their dependents,” the report said.

War veterans have been benefitting significantly over the years, with government having spent approximately N$4.2 billion on war veterans.

Currently, a total of 18 291 veterans are receiving a monthly subvention of N$2 200 and they qualify for funding for a project of N$170 000. The dependents of war veterans are also catered for by government.

Monument, school

With Namibia having been allocated a piece of land on the African Liberation Museum Site, the committee also recommended the construction of a monument in Zimbabwe to honour heroes of the liberation struggle.

They also called for the establishment of a national military school.

“Namibia, through the ministry of education, should embrace the opportunity to construct a monument in Zimbabwe in honour of the liberation struggle heroes and heroines on the allocated land at the African Liberation Museum site,” the report states.

The construction of a military school would help instil discipline among the youth, the committee suggests.

“The ministry of defence and veterans affairs should consider exploring the possibilities of establishing a national military school as a long-term project. This school would cater to the children of force members and civil servants, aiming to instil discipline and military consciousness in future generations."

‘Preposterous’

Motivating the need for the benchmarking exercise in Zimbabwe, committee chairperson Leevi Katoma said the country has excellent veteran projects in place that are worth emulating.

“They visited us last year. We have good cooperation. We heard they have good programmes. We felt it necessary to benchmark there and see what strategies they have,” he said.

Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry Venaani called the proposal absurd, saying a sovereign wealth fund had already been created for the benefit of all Namibians.

“It is preposterous to believe certain categories of people must benefit from our natural resources. We have created a wealth fund that should create growth and redistribute wealth to every Namibian equally and fairly,” Venaani said.