Renthia Kaimbi
Senior officials at the National Youth Service (NYS) are accused of ignoring allegations of trainee sexual exploitation, violent assaults and shielding perpetrators from accountability, according to a whistleblowing complaint seen by the Windhoek Observer.
The complaint, signed by “Disgruntled Staff Members”, states: “We are not able to remain silent anymore. Enough is enough.”
At least 10 cases of inappropriate staff-trainee sexual relationships have been reported.
Some officials allegedly fathered children with trainees, forced them to have abortions, and knowingly infected them with HIV.
Staff members accuse NYS of failing to act, allowing favouritism and leaving trainees unprotected.
NYS commissioner Felix Musukubili dismissed most of the claims as “old cases” dating back to 2016.
“What you are reporting is a very old thing. That thing was in 2016, even before I joined NYS. There was an audio that circulated in 2016 and when I came onboard, somebody recirculated it,” he said.
He suggested disgruntled former employees may be attempting to damage the NYS’s reputation.
Musukubili confirmed that an independent committee made up of representatives from the Namibian Police, Namibian Correctional Services, and the Office of the Ombudsman investigated the matter in 2020 but “could not establish anything.”
He also claimed a fired employee who had sexual relationships with trainees started the latest allegations.
Despite this, several trainees insist the abuse is real. Six trainees from different intakes at the Rietfontein Training Centre reportedly identified the same staff member as having infected them with HIV.
One trainee, who asked not to be named, said the staff member forced her to have an abortion five months into their relationship in 2022, and she tested positive for HIV three months later.
“I have accepted my illness, and I am currently on treatment. “I have moved on,” she said. She reported that the staff member faced no disciplinary action, while she was only advised to seek counselling.
Sources told the Windhoek Observer that more than 20 children have been born from staff-trainee relationships over the years.
One former employee allegedly fathered three children with three different trainees without facing consequences. Musukubili responded that while rules exist to prevent sexual relationships between staff and trainees, the NYS cannot fully prevent them.
The complaint also points to a violent incident in 2021 when a male trainee was assaulted by the then acting civic manager after being found in the female barracks.
The manager allegedly retrieved a firearm and fired a shot over the trainee’s head. Although a police case was registered at Kombat, the matter was described internally as “using fireworks,” and no action was taken.
“People that are alleging that did not testify. There are a lot of charges going on and due for hearings. Somebody must be angry somewhere, somehow. I think your sources must just really confirm. We need evidence. In the absence of evidence, those are rumours. We will not be able to manage them,” Musukubili said.
