Enough is enough, say war veterans

A GROUP of Swapo war veterans who last year had the nation’s full attention when they demanded that Government compensate them for their sacrifices during the liberation struggle are back.

At a meeting held in Windhoek on Saturday morning, more than 200 people pledged to take to the streets on February 26 to stage a protest march to get Government to act. Last year, a similar plan was thwarted when only a handful of supporters pitched, and Bishop Zephania Kameeta of the Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) persuaded the organisers to allow the church group to act as mediator between them and Government.Since then, committee spokesperson Alex Kamwi says, they have heard no word of any progress made by the church group.”The CCN asked us to [shelve] our demonstration so they can mediate.But since then we haven’t received any report on progress like we asked the bishop to compile,” Kamwi told The Namibian yesterday.On the day of the failed demonstration to State House, the committee also handed a petition to the Minister of Presidential Affairs Albert Kawana.Questions posed to Government in that petition have not been answered, five months after the handover took place, Kamwi said.Saturday’s meeting, which took place at a packed Greenwell Matongo Community Centre, saw various speakers encourage supporters to not be afraid to stand up for their rights.”We’ve realised that there seems to be a bit of confusion.We’re not trying to establish a party.We’re simply busy with an association which we are entitled to do,” Kamwi said.The group has been filled with new hope after claims by Kamwi that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had confirmed that Plan fighters were entitled to UN compensation packages in 1989.”We were supposed to receive coupons, and with these coupons we were to get building materials to construct our own shelters,” Kamwi told The Namibian yesterday.According to National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) Executive Director Phil ya Nangoloh, the communication from the UNHCR that Kamwi alluded to was apparently sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The committee had tried to get the NSHR, as a UN-recognised organisation, to approach the international body on their behalf.However, Ya Nangoloh said yesterday the UNHCR’s response from Geneva had been sent to Government before they were asked to intervene.The war veterans say they want Government to address them on the contents of the UNHCR letter, as well as inform them on progress made to accommodate them.The newly formed Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs has also been less than forthcoming, Kamwi said.”We have not heard anything from them since they started,” he said.Kamwi yesterday maintained that, this time around, no one will stop the committee from demonstrating.”No one can stop us again.We haven’t heard from [Minister of Presidential Affairs] Kawana, from the church or anyone else.So no one can come now and stop us,” Kamwi said.He said marchers countrywide would have to start putting in leave in order to allow the planned demonstration to take place in a “procedural” manner.Last year, a similar plan was thwarted when only a handful of supporters pitched, and Bishop Zephania Kameeta of the Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) persuaded the organisers to allow the church group to act as mediator between them and Government.Since then, committee spokesperson Alex Kamwi says, they have heard no word of any progress made by the church group.”The CCN asked us to [shelve] our demonstration so they can mediate.But since then we haven’t received any report on progress like we asked the bishop to compile,” Kamwi told The Namibian yesterday.On the day of the failed demonstration to State House, the committee also handed a petition to the Minister of Presidential Affairs Albert Kawana.Questions posed to Government in that petition have not been answered, five months after the handover took place, Kamwi said. Saturday’s meeting, which took place at a packed Greenwell Matongo Community Centre, saw various speakers encourage supporters to not be afraid to stand up for their rights.”We’ve realised that there seems to be a bit of confusion.We’re not trying to establish a party.We’re simply busy with an association which we are entitled to do,” Kamwi said.The group has been filled with new hope after claims by Kamwi that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had confirmed that Plan fighters were entitled to UN compensation packages in 1989.”We were supposed to receive coupons, and with these coupons we were to get building materials to construct our own shelters,” Kamwi told The Namibian yesterday.According to National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) Executive Director Phil ya Nangoloh, the communication from the UNHCR that Kamwi alluded to was apparently sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The committee had tried to get the NSHR, as a UN-recognised organisation, to approach the international body on their behalf.However, Ya Nangoloh said yesterday the UNHCR’s response from Geneva had been sent to Government before they were asked to intervene.The war veterans say they want Government to address them on the contents of the UNHCR letter, as well as inform them on progress made to accommodate them.The newly formed Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs has also been less than forthcoming, Kamwi said.”We have not heard anything from them since they started,” he said.Kamwi yesterday maintained that, this time around, no one will stop the committee from demonstrating.”No one can stop us again.We haven’t heard from [Minister of Presidential Affairs] Kawana, from the church or anyone else.So no one can come now and stop us,” Kamwi said.He said marchers countrywide would have to start putting in leave in order to allow the planned demonstration to take place in a “procedural” manner.