PRESIDENT Hage Geingob last Friday commissioned two ‘submarine chasers’, the ‘Brukkaros’ and the ‘Daures’, for the Namibian navy at Walvis Bay.
The ships, with surface and under-surface attacking capabilities, were refurbished and donated by China.
The Chinese have also supplied the Namibian navy with a logistical support vessel in the past. The 60 crew members were also trained by the Chinese.
“It has been said that it is better to have one loyal friend than a hundred fair-weather friends. In the People’s Republic of China, Namibia has a loyal friend; an all-weather friend.
“The acquisition of these two ships came as a result of China’s People’s Liberation Army, which offered to donate to the NDF,” said Geingob.
The commissioning was done on the 13th anniversary of Namibia’s fully fledged naval force at the naval headquarters at Walvis Bay. Daures is the local name for the Brandberg Mountain, and Brukkaros is the name of the giant extinct volcano in the //Karas region.
Geingob said Namibia has always espoused peace and diplomacy, at regional and international level.
“We are a child of international solidarity; enemy to none and friend to all, unless our sovereignty is under threat,” he said.
He, however, noted “the disturbing rate of flux” in modern-day geopolitics, stating that Namibia must always be vigilant regarding its national security, and therefore constantly upgrade its military hardware and train its military personnel to enable the country “to repel any threat to our sovereignty”, whether aerial, terrestrial or marine.
“In boosting our naval capabilities, we will ensure that we are not relying on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we are making our position unassailable,” said Geingob. He said Namibia’s navy plays a vital role in protecting Namibia’s marine economy, which is a significant contributor to the national GDP, as well as a major job creator.
“The navy faces a considerable challenge in ensuring that it protects the country against any and all maritime threats. It is therefore of paramount importance that we continue to increase our naval capabilities.
“Our navy must be responsive to the challenges of maritime responsibility, and our officers must at all times be ready to defend and protect Namibia’s territorial waters and harbours, which are not only valuable assets to Namibia but the SADC region as a whole, since they present a gateway into the region,” he said. “Challenges force one to grow and therefore let us deal with the economic challenge by evolving our financing models.
This will place us in good stead once our economy stabilises,” he concluded.
