Former SWATF members issue 21-day ultimatum over N$36m

Former members of the South West African Territorial Force (SWATF) have given government 21 days to respond to a petition demanding compensation, recognition and equal treatment.

The petition, addressed to the president, prime minister and the United Nations, centres on a N$36 million fund the group claims was transferred for their benefit but has not been paid out eight years later.

They are also calling for inclusion under the Veterans Act, access to medical care, housing and economic support, and an end to alleged intimidation.

Speaking to Namibian Sun last Wednesday ahead of a planned demonstration, group representative Willem Coetzee said members are prepared to take legal action if their demands are not met.

“If these people don’t start paying our money, we will take the banks to court for a forensic audit,” he warned.

He added that the Bank of Namibia and the South African Reserve Bank could be targeted.

Coetzee said the money is traceable and linked to beneficiaries. “We know that our money is in the banks. Even our names are attached to those amounts,” he claimed.

He alleged that the N$36 million forms part of a broader set of funds, including demobilisation money linked to Namibia’s independence, which he says was never distributed.

About 6 461 former members are believed to be affected.

“If we don’t get answers, we will go to the High Court, then the Supreme Court, and even internationally if needed,” he said.

The group is also demanding a review of the Veterans Act to include former SWATF members and provide equal access to benefits.

Deputy secretary to the National Assembly, Oscar Muyatwa, confirmed that the petition has formally entered parliamentary processes.

“Your petition was duly received and tabled in the National Assembly in terms of Rule 217 of the Standing Rules and Orders," he said.

Muyatwa said the petition was tabled on 4 March and has since been referred to the parliamentary standing committee on constitutional, legal and petitions.

The latest petition forms part of a long-running dispute dating back to the early years of independence, when former SWATF members began raising concerns about exclusion from post-war support structures.

Over time, groups representing former members have organised marches, petitions and engagements with the government, maintaining that their role during the conflict period has not been formally recognised in policy or benefits frameworks.

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