Thousands of Youths Vie for 750 Cadet Jobs in Namibia Police Force

Thousands of Youths Vie for 750 Cadet Jobs in Namibia Police

Unemployed youth by the thousands went to the Wanaheda Police Station in Windhoek, vying for 750 cadet positions with the Namibian Police.

Yesterday at this time, after the line had formed at 09:00 in the morning, approximately 2,000 people were still waiting outside the police station. Few were willing to talk to The Namibian because of how angry they were.

However, some people claimed they had been waiting in line since the rain stopped yesterday morning.

In a country where youth unemployment is at above 50 percent, the recent police recruiting drive represents the latest scramble for work.

Chrispin Mubebo, the acting commander of the Khomas regional police, claimed that applications were accepted beginning on April 3 and ending yesterday.

More than 7,000 applications have been received in Windhoek so far; this does not include submissions made yesterday.

Unfortunately, our staff has a penchant for procrastinating until the very last minute. The current wait time would not be necessary if persons had arrived within the allotted 20 working days.

As a result, “we released 1,000 posts, 250 applicants from the National Youth Service, and 750 applicants from [from] every Namibian who meets the requirement,” he explained.

Mubebo has stated that the deadline cannot be extended regardless of the number of applicants.

He claimed, “The office of the inspector general said the due date is today unless the same office directs us to extend the date,” but that they had heard nothing about an extension.

According to Mubebo, the application process is entirely offline.

Two thousand Windhoek adolescents looking for work in March stunned the country by flooding a local business with resumes for 16 open positions.

To supplement their present staff of 48, the Temperature Lounge and Restaurant in Windhoek has posted advertisements for 16 positions, including waiters, waitresses, chefs, bartenders, and cleaners.

Later that month, thousands of Walvis Bay residents converged on the headquarters of the Omualu Fishing company in the hopes of being interviewed for positions at the fish processing plant. Workers at the factory allegedly told their personal networks that they were looking for new staff.

NO FRAUDULENT ACTIONS

Last month, Police Inspector General Joseph Shikongo advised those responsible for recruiting police cadets to avoid engaging in fraudulent practices.

Shikongo reportedly told New Era that the recruit application officers will be responsible for being honest and fair in their work.

Those who match the standards are encouraged to apply since “jobs will be given to all eligible candidates.”

Candidates for the position of cadet constable must be in possession of a valid NSSCO/H diploma from Grade 12 or a Grade 11 diploma from the new curriculum.
Female applicants must be willing to take a pregnancy test, and all applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 35. Applicants must also be in good health and have no criminal records.

According to Herbert Jauch, an expert on the Namibian labor market, young people in the country are willing to wait in long lines for the few available jobs.

“This has been the situation for young people, and it’s getting worse, because even if you complete your tertiary qualifications, you will not be assured of a job,” he said.

He was also unhappy about the country’s lackluster performance in the area of employment creation.

“As a nation, we have not met the goals established under the 2013 Namibia National Employment Policy.

However, “we have generally failed to create the large number of jobs that are needed to accommodate young people,” Jauch said.

According to economist Omu Kakujaha-Matundu, the unemployment crises that Namibia has been experiencing are nothing new.

There has always been a significant unemployment rate in our country.

Kakujaha-Matundu said that the nature of the economy, which is primarily reliant on extractive sectors, meant that even when the economy was growing, it was growing without jobs.

Many of our rural young who migrate to urban centers in search of the scarce employment opportunities have complained that the government’s failure to diversify the economy and explore green plans, for example, has left them unemployed.

He blamed bad planning from the outset on the Namibian government.

According to the most recent labor force survey (2018), the youth unemployment rate in Namibia was 46.1%, with males making up 43.7% and women 48.5% of the total.

In 2016, about half of the country’s youth population was unemployed.

Between 2012 and 2013, estimates put the youth unemployment rate at 43%.