Ndeitunga reads riot act
At a promotion ceremony of the Namibian police, Lieutenant-General Ndeitunga not only demonstrated an unyielding distaste for lazy officials, but said there would be dire consequences for those officers.
Lieutenant-General Sebastian Ndeitunga on Friday extended a stern warning to members of the Namibian police to work hard and to serve the Namibian people.
At an official ceremony where 52 force members were promoted or given new portfolios, Ndeitunga said that members who were promoted must not think they can sit back and relax.
“You are not bosses and the offices which you work in are not yours but belong to the public who are paying your salaries. Be friendly with your communities and assist them where they need it,” he said.
Of the promotions, by far the two most outstanding is firstly, the promotion of the former Oshikoto Regional Police Commander, Commissioner Anne Marie Nainda to the rank of Major-General. Nainda is now the deputy inspector-general of the Namibian police's Administration department. Major-General Nainda joined the police force in 1992 at the tender age of 18 working at the Katutura and later Windhoek police stations.
She also served at Interpol until she joined the Oshikoto police as regional commander in 2007. Nainda is the first woman to be appointed a deputy of Ndeitunga.
After the retirement of Major-General James Tjivikua, who was the chief of operations, Major-General Desiderius Shilunga will take his place.
Former Walvis Bay crime investigation coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Ottilie Kashuupulwa from the Erongo Region was transferred to the Oshana Region as the new head of police administration, while acting regional commander in //Karas Region, Deputy Commissioner Julia Sakuwa is now the head of police administration in the Zambezi Region. These promotions and new portfolios are effective from 1 April. Ndeitunga placed great emphasis on gender representation and ethnic balance in the police force when he addressed the members.
“Look at this morning's parade, he said. I do not see any white faces. We could have had a beautiful Namibian parade if there was a diversity of colours.
“I urge white parents and families to encourage their children to join the force,” he said.
“A garden is only beautiful with flowers of different colours. I do not want to see another parade where the colours of the country are not fully represented.”
He also warned members to give their best and be productive at all times, saying there will be serious consequences for those who are lackadaisical.
“I will demote any member by three ranks should I find out that any of you who have just been promoted are lazy. Corrupt and lazy officers are an embarrassment to me and the entire force. Even if we have less members in the police, it is still better than having members who embarrass us. The same goes for officers that allow dockets to disappear.”
He urged the community to report crime saying that neighbours know when there is a drug house next to them or that their neighbour beats his wife. He urged people to report these crimes to the police without delay.
He further expressed concern over the recent escape of suspects in custody at Oshakati.
He said he will take these members on directly as there was obviously no proper supervision of the junior officers.
“If there is no proper supervision there is no control and that is when duties are not performed properly and discipline falls by the wayside. The escape of the suspects at Oshakati is one such an example,” he said.
Referring to the economic crunch, Ndeitunga said it is difficult to address the shortage of housing and officers for the force at this juncture. He added that procurement too will be problematic and new headquarters and regional offices have also been put on hold.
“The procurement of fuel has been cut from N$110 million to N$20 million and that means we will have to improvise otherwise our vehicles will soon be parked. Strict controls must be implemented.
“I repeat my directive for the control of movement for all police vehicles. If a car has been allocated for administrative purposes it may only be use during working hours and only for this purpose,” he said.
Tanja Bause
At an official ceremony where 52 force members were promoted or given new portfolios, Ndeitunga said that members who were promoted must not think they can sit back and relax.
“You are not bosses and the offices which you work in are not yours but belong to the public who are paying your salaries. Be friendly with your communities and assist them where they need it,” he said.
Of the promotions, by far the two most outstanding is firstly, the promotion of the former Oshikoto Regional Police Commander, Commissioner Anne Marie Nainda to the rank of Major-General. Nainda is now the deputy inspector-general of the Namibian police's Administration department. Major-General Nainda joined the police force in 1992 at the tender age of 18 working at the Katutura and later Windhoek police stations.
She also served at Interpol until she joined the Oshikoto police as regional commander in 2007. Nainda is the first woman to be appointed a deputy of Ndeitunga.
After the retirement of Major-General James Tjivikua, who was the chief of operations, Major-General Desiderius Shilunga will take his place.
Former Walvis Bay crime investigation coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Ottilie Kashuupulwa from the Erongo Region was transferred to the Oshana Region as the new head of police administration, while acting regional commander in //Karas Region, Deputy Commissioner Julia Sakuwa is now the head of police administration in the Zambezi Region. These promotions and new portfolios are effective from 1 April. Ndeitunga placed great emphasis on gender representation and ethnic balance in the police force when he addressed the members.
“Look at this morning's parade, he said. I do not see any white faces. We could have had a beautiful Namibian parade if there was a diversity of colours.
“I urge white parents and families to encourage their children to join the force,” he said.
“A garden is only beautiful with flowers of different colours. I do not want to see another parade where the colours of the country are not fully represented.”
He also warned members to give their best and be productive at all times, saying there will be serious consequences for those who are lackadaisical.
“I will demote any member by three ranks should I find out that any of you who have just been promoted are lazy. Corrupt and lazy officers are an embarrassment to me and the entire force. Even if we have less members in the police, it is still better than having members who embarrass us. The same goes for officers that allow dockets to disappear.”
He urged the community to report crime saying that neighbours know when there is a drug house next to them or that their neighbour beats his wife. He urged people to report these crimes to the police without delay.
He further expressed concern over the recent escape of suspects in custody at Oshakati.
He said he will take these members on directly as there was obviously no proper supervision of the junior officers.
“If there is no proper supervision there is no control and that is when duties are not performed properly and discipline falls by the wayside. The escape of the suspects at Oshakati is one such an example,” he said.
Referring to the economic crunch, Ndeitunga said it is difficult to address the shortage of housing and officers for the force at this juncture. He added that procurement too will be problematic and new headquarters and regional offices have also been put on hold.
“The procurement of fuel has been cut from N$110 million to N$20 million and that means we will have to improvise otherwise our vehicles will soon be parked. Strict controls must be implemented.
“I repeat my directive for the control of movement for all police vehicles. If a car has been allocated for administrative purposes it may only be use during working hours and only for this purpose,” he said.
Tanja Bause
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