Kamwi group vows to fight on

A GROUP of war veterans pressurising Government for payment to reward them for their service during the liberation struggle plan to form an association.They believe it will give them more status.

Former freedom fighters, who say they were all members of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (Plan), the military wing of the Swapo Party, met in Katutura on Saturday and voted in favour of forming an association. They also decided to push ahead with countrywide demonstrations next month, with the main activity being a peaceful march to State House.In another move, the Office of the Prime Minister has, in a confidential letter, requested all ministries to provide it with the names of ex-combatants employed in the civil service.”Former combatants can now register as members and we have decided on a monthly membership fee of ten Namibia dollars,” said Alex Kamwi, spokesperson of the National Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants.”We will draft a constitution and then hire a lawyer to fine-tune it according to legal requirements.We will then register as a Section 21 organisation, meaning an association not for gain,” Kamwi told The Namibian after the meeting.”We have made contact with war veterans in Zimbabwe, where a similar association has existed for several years.”Ruusa Malulu, Chairperson of the Committee, told the people gathered in the open space behind the Greenwell Matongo Centre about her meeting with former President Sam Nujoma at State House last February.”He told me and John Pandeni, who took me there, to put our requests in writing and submit them to Pandeni at the Swapo headquarters,” Malulu said.She maintained that neither she nor other Committee members had insulted former President Sam Nujoma recently, as alleged by some within Swapo.Nujoma last month accused the Committee of failing to submit their demands through the party structures and said, “We don’t know who they (the war veterans) are”.”We want our demands met as soon as possible, but they are negotiable,” Kamwi told this newspaper.The war veterans want Government to pay them a lump sum of N$500 000 for each former Plan fighter, the right to work until the age of 70 for those who have jobs, fishing quotas and equity in mining operations, and protection from competition in the business sector for those who have their own companies.They are also demanding free education for their children.According to Kamwi, the Committee has already informed the Police and local authorities about their intended protest action on Monday, September 4.On Friday, they sent a letter to the Office of the Prime Minister, requesting that all former war veterans employed in the Public Service be given that day off to participate in the demonstrations.”We will concentrate the main activity in Windhoek and will stay in the Parliament Gardens until the day we receive an official response from State House for our demands,” Kamwi told The Namibian.Although President Hifikepunye Pohamba rejected the veterans’ demands in a televised address to the nation three weeks ago, Kamwi insists that the Committee wants an official response from State House, addressed directly to the group.The Office of the Prime Minister has in the meantime sprung into action and asked all ministries to provide it with names of former war veterans employed in the public service in order to establish a “data bank”.The confidential circular No 12, dated August 1 and sent out by the permanent secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Steve Katjiuanjo – unsigned, however – was reportedly dispatched to all permanent secretaries, the Director of the Namibia Security Intelligence Agency, the Electoral Commission, the Deputy Auditor General and two labour unions, Napwu and Nantu.”Since Independence in 1990, the ex-combatants have been taken up in the Public Service at various stages either as individuals or as groups,” the circular said.”The Department (of Public Service Management) requires as much information as possible [on] the current status of these individuals in order to develop a comprehensive data bank,” the circular stated.It requested the names and birth dates of former war veterans, their salaries, ranks and position in the ministry or “organisation”.This includes former combatants who have resigned or retired.According to Kamwi, the Committee sent a letter to Katjiuanjo on Friday, requesting clarity about the circular.”What is the real motive behind this exercise (…) as this initiative was triggered by the Committee’s demands,” his letter stated.They also decided to push ahead with countrywide demonstrations next month, with the main activity being a peaceful march to State House. In another move, the Office of the Prime Minister has, in a confidential letter, requested all ministries to provide it with the names of ex-combatants employed in the civil service.”Former combatants can now register as members and we have decided on a monthly membership fee of ten Namibia dollars,” said Alex Kamwi, spokesperson of the National Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants.”We will draft a constitution and then hire a lawyer to fine-tune it according to legal requirements.We will then register as a Section 21 organisation, meaning an association not for gain,” Kamwi told The Namibian after the meeting.”We have made contact with war veterans in Zimbabwe, where a similar association has existed for several years.”Ruusa Malulu, Chairperson of the Committee, told the people gathered in the open space behind the Greenwell Matongo Centre about her meeting with former President Sam Nujoma at State House last February.”He told me and John Pandeni, who took me there, to put our requests in writing and submit them to Pandeni at the Swapo headquarters,” Malulu said.She maintained that neither she nor other Committee members had insulted former President Sam Nujoma recently, as alleged by some within Swapo.Nujoma last month accused the Committee of failing to submit their demands through the party structures and said, “We don’t know who they (the war veterans) are”.”We want our demands met as soon as possible, but they are negotiable,” Kamwi told this newspaper.The war veterans want Government to pay them a lump sum of N$500 000 for each former Plan fighter, the right to work until the age of 70 for those who have jobs, fishing quotas and equity in mining operations, and protection from competition in the business sector for those who have their own companies.They are also demanding free education for their children.According to Kamwi, the Committee has already informed the Police and local authorities about their intended protest action on Monday, September 4.On Friday, they sent a letter to the Office of the Prime Minister, requesting that all former war veterans employed in the Public Service be given that day off to participate in the demonstrations.”We will concentrate the main activity in Windhoek and will stay in the Parliament Gardens until the day we receive an official response from State House for our demands,” Kamwi told The Namibian.Although President Hifikepunye Pohamba rejected the veterans’ demands in a televised address to the nation three weeks ago, Kamwi insists that the Committee wants an official response from State House, addressed directly to the group.The Office of the Prime Minister has in the meantime sprung into action and asked all ministries to provide it with names of former war veterans employed in the public service in order to establish a “data bank”.The confidential circular No 12, dated August 1 and sent out by the permanent secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Steve Katjiuanjo – unsigned, however – was reportedly dispatched to all permanent secretaries, the Director of the Namibia Security Intelligence Agency, the Electoral Commission, the Deputy Auditor General and two labour unions, Napwu and Nantu.”Since Independence in 1990, the ex-combatants have been taken up in the Public Service at various stages either as individuals or as groups,” the circular said.”The Department (of Public Service Management) requires as much information as possible [on] the current status of these individuals in order to develop a comprehensive data bank,” the circular stated.It requested the names and birth dates of former war veterans, their salaries, ranks and position in the ministry or “organisation”.This includes former combatants who have resigned or retired.According to Kamwi, the Committee sent a letter to Katjiuanjo on Friday, requesting clarity about the circular.”What is the real motive behind this exercise (…) as this initiative was triggered by the Committee’s demands,” his letter stated.