NDF airforce base shrouded in secrecy

Information about the new air force base being built for the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) near Karibib has proven hard to come by as the Ministry was unwilling to give details.

Photographs of the red-brick infrastructure, which is about 15km from Karibib on the road to Omaruru are considered illegal, according to the Ministry’s spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Monica Sheya.’According to the Defence Act Section 55, Subsection 1A, no photographs may be taken of military installations in Namibia,’ she said.The Namibian took photos of the installation from the main road – photographing what hundreds of Namibians and tourists see when traveling between Karibib and Omaruru during daylight, every day.Asked for some ‘basic information’, Sheya said: ‘You should be patient because it will be soon officially inaugurated. Then you can get the details. The questions might be basic to you, but according to the military’s norms and act it’s not that basic. It’s not top secret but until such time as we decide, we will inform you.’All she was willing to say was that it was a ‘normal air force base now under construction, which will be opened soon. Then it will be made public.’’It is the duty and responsibility of the NDF to safeguard the airspace over every corner of Namibia, hence the need for this one in Karibib,’ she said.Asked what the infrastructure includes, she said, ‘That’s for the NDF to know, and for you not to find out.’An information board at the entrance of Karibib’s old glider base indicates that the ‘Construction of a new airwing base, Phase 2 for the Ministry of Defence’ was contracted to China Jiangsu International.The Namibian also learned from reliable sources that the project was already launched in 1997, with the first phase of the construction work starting nearly two and a half years ago. The first phase included infrastructure like ‘a tower and things like that’. An entry into the Government Gazette dated October 27 2006 also indicated the construction of ‘concrete aprons at the parking area of the runway’.The sources also told the newspaper that the second phase, which includes five buildings comprising of accommodation units, offices and warehouses, is also nearing completion. It will be a ‘permanent base’.According to the report of the Auditor General on the accounts of the Ministry of Defence for the financial year ended March 31 2008, the approved total budget for Karibib airwing was N$63 million with the expected date of completion to be in the first quarter of next year.The total expenditure for the project ran at about N$39,5 million for the 2007/2008 financial year.According to sources, the amount of phases depended on the budget.More military structures with millions spent and that while four out of 10 Namibian children do not own a pair of shoes.