Vets call off demo, ‘but fight not over’

WAR VETERANS led by Ruusa Malulu and Alex Kamwi have left the premises of the Justice Building in Windhoek where they had camped for most of last week, but say they haven’t given up.

The approximately 150 to 200 people who braved cold weather and even pepper spray in search of the pot of gold they maintain was promised to them at the end of the fight for liberation, left the grounds on Friday afternoon. They were assisted by the traffic police.The group was served with an eviction order on Friday morning, which stated that they were occupying the grounds illegally.However, spokesperson Kamwi insisted that the group had left of their own accord after meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs that same day.”We cease all comments.We have come to an agreement with Government and we will stick to this agreement,” Kamwi told reporters on Friday.Government, Kamwi said in the presence of the Veterans’ Affairs Ministry’s permanent secretary, had agreed to talk with them.After packing their bags, the group went back to the informal settlement of Greenwell Matongo, where transport and accommodation were discussed.Speaking to The Namibian yesterday, the group’s co-ordinator Matheus Nangolo said members have been taken into various homes of people living in Windhoek.Some, especially those who came from Okahandja, had gone home, he said.However, they would remain in Windhoek, Nangolo said, to see what comes of Government’s promise to talk to them.”At this stage things look good.There are no problems between us and Government.But we don’t need tricks,” Nangolo warned.”We could march again,” he said.Meanwhile, the group plans to get itself registered, as their unofficial status was raised by Prime Minister Nahas Angula, Nangolo said.”The Prime Minister said our organisation is not official, so we want to seek legal advice on getting ourselves registered,” he said.This process would likely start today, he said.According to the eviction order, Government regarded their stay in the open area between the Telecom building and the Justice Building as illegal.The group was granted permission to march from Greenwell Matongo to the city centre to hand over their petition to the Minister of Veterans’ Affairs, the order states.They were further “required” to disband upon receiving a response on their petition from the Minister, but refused to do so.The group had previously planned to assemble in the Zoo Park next to the Justice Ministry, but were denied permission by the CEO of the City of Windhoek, who said it would be a violation of municipal regulations.In addition, they had refused requests by the Veterans’ Minister, the Police, and Cabinet to move, their presence there constituted a health threat and a nuisance to personnel at Telecom and the Ministries’ offices.’GOVT AT FAULT’ While Government argued that the demonstrators’ presence in front of the Justice Building was illegal, Legal Assistance Centre director Norman Tjombe over the weekend said it was actually Government that was at fault following the break-up of the group’s demonstration.”The recent actions of the Police to disperse the ex-liberation fighters at their demonstration is not only illegal, but also a blatant violation of their constitutional rights to demonstrate and to be assumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law,” Tjombe said.”If the Police are of the opinion that the demonstrators broke a law then they ought to have been charged with an offence.By pepper-spraying the demonstrators the Police have taken the law into their own hands by assuming that the demonstrators are already guilty without even a trial,” he said.By removing the demonstrators from a public place, Tjombe said, their right to demonstrate under the Constitution had been violated and their grievances rendered ineffective.”These illegal actions by the Police are uncalled for and are a relic of the past, a practice which was widely observed by the then barbaric SWATF.A police service such as NamPol, operating on the premise of the Rule of Law, must not do that,” he said.They were assisted by the traffic police.The group was served with an eviction order on Friday morning, which stated that they were occupying the grounds illegally.However, spokesperson Kamwi insisted that the group had left of their own accord after meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs that same day.”We cease all comments.We have come to an agreement with Government and we will stick to this agreement,” Kamwi told reporters on Friday.Government, Kamwi said in the presence of the Veterans’ Affairs Ministry’s permanent secretary, had agreed to talk with them.After packing their bags, the group went back to the informal settlement of Greenwell Matongo, where transport and accommodation were discussed.Speaking to The Namibian yesterday, the group’s co-ordinator Matheus Nangolo said members have been taken into various homes of people living in Windhoek.Some, especially those who came from Okahandja, had gone home, he said.However, they would remain in Windhoek, Nangolo said, to see what comes of Government’s promise to talk to them.”At this stage things look good.There are no problems between us and Government.But we don’t need tricks,” Nangolo warned.”We could march again,” he said.Meanwhile, the group plans to get itself registered, as their unofficial status was raised by Prime Minister Nahas Angula, Nangolo said.”The Prime Minister said our organisation is not official, so we want to seek legal advice on getting ourselves registered,” he said.This process would likely start today, he said.According to the eviction order, Government regarded their stay in the open area between the Telecom building and the Justice Building as illegal.The group was granted permission to march from Greenwell Matongo to the city centre to hand over their petition to the Minister of Veterans’ Affairs, the order states.They were further “required” to disband upon receiving a response on their petition from the Minister, but refused to do so.The group had previously planned to assemble in the Zoo Park next to the Justice Ministry, but were denied permission by the CEO of the City of Windhoek, who said it would be a violation of municipal regulations.In addition, they had refused requests by the Veterans’ Minister, the Police, and Cabinet to move, their presence there constituted a health threat and a nuisance to personnel at Telecom and the Ministries’ offices.’GOVT AT FAULT’ While Government argued that the demonstrators’ presence in front of the Justice Building was illegal, Legal Assistance Centre director Norman Tjombe over the weekend said it was actually Government that was at fault following the break-up of the group’s demonstration.”The recent actions of the Police to disperse the ex-liberation fighters at their demonstration is not only illegal, but also a blatant violation of their constitutional rights to demonstrate and to be assumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law,” Tjombe said.”If the Police are of the opinion that the demonstrators broke a law then they ought to have been charged with an offence.By pepper-spraying the demonstrators the Police have taken the law into their own hands by assuming that the demonstrators are already guilty without even a trial,” he said.By removing the demonstrators from a public place, Tjombe said, their right to demonstrate under the Constitution had been violated and their grievances rendered ineffective.”These illegal actions by the Police are uncalled for and are a relic of the past, a practice which was widely observed by the then barbaric SWATF.A police service such as NamPol, operating on the premise of the Rule of Law, must not do that,” he said.