NDF Rejects Non-Payment Claims

Nico Smit

27 June 2011

Brigadier General Karel Ndjoba says allegations of non-payment of National Defence Force (NDF) members are not true.

Soldiers’ salaries, he says, are only withheld if someone has gone absent without leave (Awol).

Last week an SMS was published in The Namibian which alleged that NDF servicemen and women have not been paid for the last two months.

“We the NDF have not received our pay for two months, what are we supposed to live on?” the message read.

Ndjoba, the Chief of Staff of the Human Resources Department in the NDF, dismissed these claims, saying, “for sure they are being paid; they are being paid just like any other civil servant.”

Ndjoba says the only instance when a soldier’s salary could be suspended is when he or she has been Awol for more than 14 days.

“Once a soldier is Awol for more than 14 days, we suspend their salaries until they report back for duty,” the Brigadier General said.

According to Ndjoba, once a soldier reports back for duty after having gone Awol, his unit must request a reinstatement of salary. He said that due to administrative procedures, salaries are not paid immediately once the reinstatement is requested, but only at the end of the month on which the soldier reports back for duty.

He added that soldiers are not paid for the period during which they are Awol.

The SMS message read, “if we do not receive our salaries this week, we are going on strike!!!” and when asked about this, Ndjoba questioned whether the person who sent the message really was a soldier.

“I wonder if this person who sent the message is a soldier, all soldiers know that they are not covered by the Labour Act, and any strike by soldiers is regarded as mutiny and is a criminal offence,” he said.

Ndjoba said the NDF has allocated paymasters to all units and soldiers who are experiencing problems with their pay should contact their paymaster.

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