Major General in the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) Petrus Nathinge said HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 testing are mandatory requirements for Namibians willing to join the force, without any exception.

Speaking at a media conference here on Wednesday, Nathinge explained that a career in NDF is a permanent but voluntary undertaking, noting that NDF is an instrument of foreign policy, which is expected to participate in bilateral and multilateral activities, where a negative HIV/AIDS test in most cases is a requirement.

He further explained that during military and fitness training activities, it is not advisable for one to wear a mask as it may lead to oxygen deprivation, which can result in suffocation.

“Those that are vaccinated must apply. The ministry is not forcing anybody to be vaccinated, but expects all applicants to be those who meet the set requirements,” he noted.

Nathinge further indicated that in many countries the age limit to enter the force training is 17 to 22 years old. However, Namibia’s standard is 18 to 25 years, adding that the intention is to recruit young Namibians that are willing to volunteer to serve the nation subject to the set requirements and passing over the torch from the generation of freedom fighters to younger generations.

He equally emphasised that there is a need to recruit young Namibians who meet 25 and 27 points in matric (Grade 12) as the members will operate sophisticated war fighting machines that cannot be operated by school dropouts, adding that NDF training is accredited by the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA), therefore recruits should meet NQA standards.

“NDF does not use ordinary machines such as bows and arrows, but scientific equipment that needs an understanding of how science works, hence we need people who passed Grade 12,” he noted.

The army is expected to recruit 1 500 cadets.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency