Veterans’ Ministry no job agency for the youth

By: SELMA SHIPANGA

THE MINISTRY of Veterans’ Affairs has told the ‘children of the liberation struggle’ that it is not an employment agency.

This is in response to a march by the young people born in exile to the ministry last week, demanding to be given jobs immediately.
“If you are not going to give us jobs, we shall go straight to the Angolan embassy as we feel they will feel pity on us and give us a letter to go back to Angola since it’s like we do not belong here,” they said in their petition.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs, William Amagulu, referred the group to the Ministry of Youth and Sport.
“You are advised to approach the Ministry of Youth and Sport which has been given the responsibility to take care of the interests of the children of the liberation struggle by the Namibian Cabinet,” he said.
Amagulu said his ministry is responsible for integrating veterans of the liberation struggle and their dependants into the socio-economic mainstream of Namibia.
“Kindly note that ‘dependants’ are those children who are 18 years old and younger,” he said.
The group told The Namibian yesterday that they have since handed over the statement from the Veterans’ Ministry to the Ministry of Youth and Sport. Officials in the office of the Youth and Sport confirmed receipt of the letter, but could not say when they will respond, as the Permanent Secretary was in a meeting.
The group said they don’t want to deal with the Ministry of Youth, because it does not understand their “struggle”.
“The Ministry of Youth is against us, they don’t know our struggle. When we ask them when we are going to get jobs, they just tell us about education. Some of us are too old to study – we want jobs,” said John Amadhila, one of the group leaders.
Amadhila said his group will deliver another letter to the Youth Ministry by tomorrow, highlighting their problems and urging the ministry to make it a priority to give them jobs.

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