Corruption claims taint army
Namibian Sun lifted the veil last week on corruption allegations in the Namibia Defence Force (NDF), where deserving soldiers are allegedly being overlooked for promotions, in favour of the relatives, children, friends and lovers of military bigwigs.
There are also other serious allegations, which include the NDF apparently paying hordes of soldiers holding the same position in the staff structure, who are shadowing those legitimately in these posts.
The NDF's 26th Brigade at Grootfontein and 263rd Battalion at Oshakati have been accused of promoting “systematic corruption” in the force's promotion policy.
A new allegation emerged this week detailing how a cook was promoted to staff sergeant and ended up as a mechanic. It was also exposed that due to the past eight years of promotions, ten warrant officers, 11 staff sergeants and 18 sergeants are occupying three positions at the 26th Brigade, while eight warrant officers, nine staff sergeants and 12 corporals are occupying three positions in the 263rd Battalion. Since the publication of these revelations, more soldiers have come forward, claiming this is just the tip of the iceberg. For many years now allegations of nepotism and favouritism have emerged in the country's armed forces.
It also seems certain that the NDF leadership has failed to deal with corruption, despite disgruntled members bringing these allegations to their attention over the years.
A thorough investigation was supposed to have been conducted with supreme speed, because these kinds of issues affect morale.
The NDF is already under fire for its secretive spending culture and the latest allegations of corruption in its promotion policy will not only taint its reputation, but compromise national security. Therefore, it is imperative that the army is subjected to an internal audit by an independent body, to ensure that the corruption allegations receive unprecedented attention.
We implore the government to deal with the plight of our deserving soldiers, who have been victimised and overlooked due to nepotism.
There are also other serious allegations, which include the NDF apparently paying hordes of soldiers holding the same position in the staff structure, who are shadowing those legitimately in these posts.
The NDF's 26th Brigade at Grootfontein and 263rd Battalion at Oshakati have been accused of promoting “systematic corruption” in the force's promotion policy.
A new allegation emerged this week detailing how a cook was promoted to staff sergeant and ended up as a mechanic. It was also exposed that due to the past eight years of promotions, ten warrant officers, 11 staff sergeants and 18 sergeants are occupying three positions at the 26th Brigade, while eight warrant officers, nine staff sergeants and 12 corporals are occupying three positions in the 263rd Battalion. Since the publication of these revelations, more soldiers have come forward, claiming this is just the tip of the iceberg. For many years now allegations of nepotism and favouritism have emerged in the country's armed forces.
It also seems certain that the NDF leadership has failed to deal with corruption, despite disgruntled members bringing these allegations to their attention over the years.
A thorough investigation was supposed to have been conducted with supreme speed, because these kinds of issues affect morale.
The NDF is already under fire for its secretive spending culture and the latest allegations of corruption in its promotion policy will not only taint its reputation, but compromise national security. Therefore, it is imperative that the army is subjected to an internal audit by an independent body, to ensure that the corruption allegations receive unprecedented attention.
We implore the government to deal with the plight of our deserving soldiers, who have been victimised and overlooked due to nepotism.
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