Army denies tribalism accusation
Defence ministry spokesperson Petrus Shilumbu has denied accusations of tribalism during selection processes in the army.
He made the remarks after a cadet officer accused the Namibian Defence Force of tribalism in the awarding of military science scholarships.
The military trainee, who preferred to remain anonymous, saying he feared victimisation, graduated from the intensive eighteen-month Regular Commissioning Course (RCC) last week.
Criteria
The trainee approached Namibian Sun, bemoaning the force’s decision to “award most scholarships to Oshiwambo-speaking trainees.”
The cadet claimed that despite scoring 40 points in secondary education and being an eligible candidate for the scholarship, another Oshiwambo-speaking candidate with 37 points was allegedly selected. “This has left us, from other ethnic groups, to fend for ourselves and fund our tuition fees,” the cadet claimed.
'Baseless' accusations
When Namibian Sun raised the matter with the ministry, Shilumbu said: “The accusations are baseless and the complainant is deceitful."
Shilumbu accused the complainant of dishonesty, claiming that was the reason for the anonymous accusation.
“If the complainant was genuine, they could have raised these grievances with the authority for redress, if any,” he remarked.
He further emphasised that the selection in question had several requirements, one of which was a grade 12 certificate with university entry points. Other criteria were related to performance in different fields of military training, he stated.
According to Shilumbu, anybody who met the academic requirements, regardless of whether their points were below or above 40, qualified for the selection process. “The successful candidates were those who scored higher in aspects of the military.”
This is not the first time that the ministry has provided opportunities for training abroad, Shilumbu added.
He argued that there were occasions when Oshiwambo-speaking candidates had not achieved the necessary marks and, as a result, missed out on those opportunities.
“Standards are set for a reason and must therefore be strictly adhered to and upheld,” he said.
He made the remarks after a cadet officer accused the Namibian Defence Force of tribalism in the awarding of military science scholarships.
The military trainee, who preferred to remain anonymous, saying he feared victimisation, graduated from the intensive eighteen-month Regular Commissioning Course (RCC) last week.
Criteria
The trainee approached Namibian Sun, bemoaning the force’s decision to “award most scholarships to Oshiwambo-speaking trainees.”
The cadet claimed that despite scoring 40 points in secondary education and being an eligible candidate for the scholarship, another Oshiwambo-speaking candidate with 37 points was allegedly selected. “This has left us, from other ethnic groups, to fend for ourselves and fund our tuition fees,” the cadet claimed.
'Baseless' accusations
When Namibian Sun raised the matter with the ministry, Shilumbu said: “The accusations are baseless and the complainant is deceitful."
Shilumbu accused the complainant of dishonesty, claiming that was the reason for the anonymous accusation.
“If the complainant was genuine, they could have raised these grievances with the authority for redress, if any,” he remarked.
He further emphasised that the selection in question had several requirements, one of which was a grade 12 certificate with university entry points. Other criteria were related to performance in different fields of military training, he stated.
According to Shilumbu, anybody who met the academic requirements, regardless of whether their points were below or above 40, qualified for the selection process. “The successful candidates were those who scored higher in aspects of the military.”
This is not the first time that the ministry has provided opportunities for training abroad, Shilumbu added.
He argued that there were occasions when Oshiwambo-speaking candidates had not achieved the necessary marks and, as a result, missed out on those opportunities.
“Standards are set for a reason and must therefore be strictly adhered to and upheld,” he said.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article