MARINES of the Namibian Navy’s Marine Corps Unit are accusing the commanding officer, Captain (Navy) Appolos Haimbala, of favoritism and division. He reportedly granted study leave with full pay and benefits to the son of a high ranking general in the Namibian Army, while denying unpaid study leave to a longer serving member, who eventually tendered his resignation in protest.

Former Chief Petty Officer Toivo Lukas, a founding member of the Namibian Marine Corps Unit since 2006, was forced to resign in June 2012 after repeated attempts of having his unpaid study leave approved fell on deaf ears, until it was rejected in its entirety by the Naval Human Resources Department. Lukas is currently in Russia, pursuing further studies, without funding from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The biased treatment of Lukas goes against a decision taken during a Namibia Defence Force (NDF) strategic meeting held earlier this year, which ordered that a soldier who has completed his basic training and has served two consecutive years with their organic unit can be released to pursue private or MoD-funded studies outside their duty stations.

Sources at Marine headquarters in Walvis Bay alleged that Haimbala personally nominated Able Seaman Petrus Kadhila, the son of Brigadier General Ben Kadhila, to pursue studies in medicine in the Ukraine on a three-year MoD funded bursary. Haimbala was reportedly overheard saying Kadhila is the son of a comrade and therefore deserves a MoD bursary.

The disgruntled marines wrote a lengthy letter to Informanté charging that Haimbala, who was appointed Marines commander in 2009 after serving as a Major in the Army, is promoting division. He is also said to have a dislike for non-commissioned founding members of the Marines Corps, under Commander Lazarus ’Dragon’ Shiyelekeni, who is now the second in charge of the Unit.

Haimbala reportedly reminds the founding members, mostly non-commissioned officers, that they will never reap concrete benefits in the NDF as long as he remains the Marines commander.

"The whole Marine Corps Unit is currently divided between the founding members and commissioned officers who joined the unit from the Army along with Haimbala in 2009," the letter reads in part.

MoD PRO Major Petrus Shilumbu says Kadhila was selected together with many others by the Defence Health Services in collaboration with relevant internal structures, while Lucas’ application was unsuccessful when he applied last year. "Even though Kadhila is the son of Brigadier Kadhila, his father had no hand in his selection," Shilumbu re-assured.