NamForce donates protective gear to soldiers

NamForce Life Insurance Limited, a subsidiary of the Namibia Defence Force (NDF), on Monday donated hand sanitizers, gloves and masks to NDF members stationed at road blocks for protection from COVID-19 during the lockdown period. The donation ceremony took place at the Ministry of Defence in the capital, where NamForce Board Chairperson Marilyn Maurihungirire handed over the equipment to Acting Chief of Namibian Defence Force Air Wing Marshal Martin Pinehas.

Maurihungirire said the donation was necessitated by the fact that soldiers assisting the Namibian Police Force to maintain peace and order during the lockdown period do not have protective gear, and they are interacting with a lot of people on a daily basis, which exposes them and leaves them vulnerable to contracting the virus. "We have noticed that soldiers are the ones on the ground most of the time, and this makes them vulnerable to getting infected with the virus as they are seeing a lot of people for all those days of the lockdown," said Maurihungirire.

Acting Chief of Namibian Defence Force Air Wing Marshal Martin Pinehas, who received the donation on behalf of the NDF, said he is grateful to NamForce management for making a "patriotic gesture" to help men and women in uniform and keep them safe from the coronavirus. "I will make sure that this equipment reaches all the checkpoints as it is intended for, and I hope that by next week everyone at the check points has all the necessary protective gear. I also call upon other entities, especially NDF-related companies, to help with whatever they can to fight the coronavirus."

He added that ever since the lockdown started on Friday night, members of the public have been cooperative, and he is satisfied with their conduct, urging them to continue as the country can only overcome the fight against COVID-19 when people are working together. Source: Namibia Press Agency.