Africa-Press – Namibia.
Despite ongoing efforts to honour Namibia’s liberation heroes, 1 613 war veterans are still awaiting their promised lump sum payments as of April 2025.
Out of these, 1 243 are alive, while 370 are deceased, with outstanding benefits yet to be disbursed through their dependents.
The ministry of defence and veterans’ affairs stated that 29 552 veterans have received lump sum payments of N$50 000 or N$20 000, depending on their eligibility.
To address this and other veterans’ needs, the ministry has proposed a budget of N$7.49 billion for the 2025/2026 financial year. Of this, N$1.4 billion has been allocated to the Veterans Welfare Programme and the preservation of national heritage.
In an interview with New Era, defence spokesperson Petrus Shilumbu said the veterans’ support programme has rolled out several key initiatives since its establishment. These include the registration of veterans, once-off gratuity payments, monthly subventions, and the Improvement of Welfare Grant (IWG).
“We follow a rigorous vetting process, based on Section 27 of the Veterans Act, to determine who qualifies as a veteran,” he said.
Shilumbu noted that 19 774 veterans are currently receiving a monthly subvention of N$2 200, which translates to a total monthly expenditure of N$43.5 million.
In cases where the veteran has passed away, the subvention is transferred to dependents, of which 55% goes to the surviving spouse and 45% to children under the age of 18.
“As of 20 April 2025, 3 105 dependents are receiving inherited monthly subventions from 2 281 deceased veterans,” Shilumbu confirmed.
Regarding the IWG, which recognises veterans based on their period of participation in the liberation struggle, 9 712 eligible veterans currently benefit. Veterans who fought between 1959 and 1973 receive N$5 000, with 44 beneficiaries in this category; while those who served between 1974 and 1981 receive N$4 000, covering 9 668 beneficiaries.
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