‘Struggle children’ remain unwavering in their demands

THE ‘Children of the Liberation Struggle’ who have been demonstrating outside the headquarters of the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs for seven weeks yesterday reiterated that they want to talk to former President Sam Nujoma.

“We want the Founding Father to come to talk to us. We just want him to tell us where we stand.We feel lost – we don’t know where to go.He is the only one who can advise us, because he understands what we went through,” said Shinedima Salomon, the group’s spokesperson.Asked whether they would vacate the premises if Nujoma appealed to them to do so, Salomon replied: “We respect him very much, but we will not move.”He also cited the title of the former President’s autobiography, ‘Where Others Wavered’, and asked, “what does this actually mean?”, alluding to their own unwavering position.The leaders of the group have remained adamant that they will continue their protest despite continuous appeals to return to their regions.They have emphasised that they “did not come to get registered, but to receive jobs”.On Monday, the group’s representatives had a meeting with Swapo Party Youth League Secretary Elijah Ngurare and the Deputy Minister of Youth, Pohamba Shifeta, who again appealed to the group to go home and wait for the registration process.Shifeta last week issued the group with a notice to vacate the TransNamib premises, which the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs is renting, by 14h00 on Friday afternoon, but the group refused.”It is now out of our hands, and it is up to the business community to take whatever action they see fit.We have appealed to them many times.The committee will register those in the regions as scheduled.We want to move forward, but the process will be difficult if they are not co-operating,” Shifeta told The Namibian after Monday’s meeting.Meanwhile, back at the demonstration site, the leaders of the group claim that they are not clear on what the registration is for, and asked why those who already have jobs would also be registered.”If Cabinet has already decided, they need to go back to discuss so that they can hear what we want.They need to listen to us! Right now, they only want to do it in their own way.Why are they not considering us?” Salomon said.”We don’t want to wait for months and years.We only want employment.They must just give us jobs.We are not asking for money…we just want jobs,” others told The Namibian.”If our parents were around, we would have been in a different position.It seems that they want us to be street kids, to go and live under bridges, to pick through dustbins, and to become tsotsis.”They told The Namibian that a certain official had told them that their parents had not been sent into exile to give birth, but to fight.Members of the group have reacted emotionally to this statement, saying: “Many ministers went together with our parents, and also had children in exile.But you’ll never see a minister’s child here because they are benefiting.If they hadn’t been made ministers, their kids would also be here.”TransNamib has not yet indicated what it intends to do about the continued presence of the protesters on its property.We just want him to tell us where we stand.We feel lost – we don’t know where to go.He is the only one who can advise us, because he understands what we went through,” said Shinedima Salomon, the group’s spokesperson.Asked whether they would vacate the premises if Nujoma appealed to them to do so, Salomon replied: “We respect him very much, but we will not move.”He also cited the title of the former President’s autobiography, ‘Where Others Wavered’, and asked, “what does this actually mean?”, alluding to their own unwavering position.The leaders of the group have remained adamant that they will continue their protest despite continuous appeals to return to their regions.They have emphasised that they “did not come to get registered, but to receive jobs”.On Monday, the group’s representatives had a meeting with Swapo Party Youth League Secretary Elijah Ngurare and the Deputy Minister of Youth, Pohamba Shifeta, who again appealed to the group to go home and wait for the registration process.Shifeta last week issued the group with a notice to vacate the TransNamib premises, which the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs is renting, by 14h00 on Friday afternoon, but the group refused.”It is now out of our hands, and it is up to the business community to take whatever action they see fit.We have appealed to them many times.The committee will register those in the regions as scheduled.We want to move forward, but the process will be difficult if they are not co-operating,” Shifeta told The Namibian after Monday’s meeting.Meanwhile, back at the demonstration site, the leaders of the group claim that they are not clear on what the registration is for, and asked why those who already have jobs would also be registered.”If Cabinet has already decided, they need to go back to discuss so that they can hear what we want.They need to listen to us! Right now, they only want to do it in their own way.Why are they not considering us?” Salomon said.”We don’t want to wait for months and years.We only want employment.They must just give us jobs.We are not asking for money…we just want jobs,” others told The Namibian.”If our parents were around, we would have been in a different position.It seems that they want us to be street kids, to go and live under bridges, to pick through dustbins, and to become tsotsis.”They told The Namibian that a certain official had told them that their parents had not been sent into exile to give birth, but to fight.Members of the group have reacted emotionally to this statement, saying: “Many ministers went together with our parents, and also had children in exile.But you’ll never see a minister’s child here because they are benefiting.If they hadn’t been made ministers, their kids would also be here.”TransNamib has not yet indicated what it intends to do about the continued presence of the protesters on its property.