By Marianne Nghidengwa
GOVERNMENT through the Ministry of Safety and Security has rejected to compensate police officers killed or injured in the line of duty pending a compensation policy, Confidente has learnt.
A majority of the officers are members of the Namibian Police’s Special Field Force (SFF), known as the aggressive unit that complements the Special Reserve Force. The SFF unit encompasses border guards, VIP protection and installation. Approximately half of Nampol is assigned to the unit which is made up of former PLAN and SWATF combatants.
A letter in the possession of Confidente written by Nampol’s Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga to the SFF’s directorate reveals that the ministry ruled out any form of compensation until a policy on the matter is approved by Cabinet.
“You are hereby informed that your request to be compensated could not be approved by the Ministry of Finance – Treasury until the compensation policy is approved by Cabinet. In addition, a request has been made to cabinet to approve the payment for compensation for injury and death sustained during the execution of official duty,” read Ndeitunga’s letter dated August 12.
Safety and Security Minister, Charles Namoloh said that as far as he knows, officers wounded or killed during the execution of their duties within the country are normally not compensated.
“As far as I know, officers injured or killed in the line of their duty inside the country are normally not compensated. They signed up to serve and protect their country. They committed themselves to defend their country and themselves at the same time. If an officer is however sent out of the country to DRC or for UN missions for instance, they are paid by Government and the UN respectively. It is however different when officers are injured or killed internally. I speak under correction though,” Namoloh said. Meanwhile, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Threphine Kamati said that the ministry does not have a compensation policy but explained that a submission was made to Cabinet for approval. “The Ministry made a submission on the matter to Cabinet to look into the issue of compensating officers injured and killed in the line of duty.”