Late Lubowski ineligible for war veteran benefits – Mubita
Family says benefit enquiries ignored
Deputy defence and veterans affairs minister Charles Mubita has confirmed that the late liberation struggle icon Anton Lubowski does not qualify for war veteran benefits, saying the programme only came into effect in 2008 – nearly two decades after his assassination in 1989.
This follows comments by Lubowski’s daughter, Nadia, who said the family has never received tangible support from Swapo or the government, despite his reburial at the National Heroes’ Acre in Windhoek in recognition of his role in the struggle.
“Anton Lubowski does not qualify for war veteran benefits because that programme only started in 2008. And you cannot apply on behalf of someone. Anyone who did not qualify before that time is not eligible,” Mubita, also a Swapo central committee and politburo member, told Namibian Sun yesterday.
Speaking on NTV’s The Agenda on Sunday alongside her mother, Gabrielle, Nadia said the family had tried to access material support that many liberation icons or their relatives receive as a token of appreciation.
“[Among the] attempts we made was during some point in the past [when] it was alleged that all children of those who died in the struggle would receive N$30 000. We submitted all the required details and applied at the Swapo offices for financial support to further studies, but we never received the money,” Nadia explained separately in an email from South Africa, where the family resides.
“At one point, my mother also phoned the veterans office to enquire about the veterans’ pension money, but she was told applications had closed. The point is we received absolutely no support from Swapo – emotional, social or financial.”
Once-off grant
Mubita emphasised that recognition as a war veteran does not automatically translate into financial benefits.
“It’s difficult, you see. What about people like [Tobias] Hainyeko? He’s a hero, yes, but how does he benefit? How do his family members benefit? The only benefit Lubowski could have had would be if he had a child under 18 at the time the law was enacted,” he said.
Hainyeko was the first commander of Swapo’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), and was killed in action near the Kwando River in 1967.
“Imagine if you opened it up to all who joined the struggle in the 1960s and passed away long ago – the Tobias Hainyekos and others. Who would benefit?” Mubita asked.
He noted that benefits for war veterans include a monthly subsidy and project funding, but stressed that Lubowski had already died before the policy came into effect. Families, however, can still apply for one-off grants of N$50 000 or N$20 000, depending on whether the deceased was directly involved in combat or was an activist.
“That one, the family can easily get. It doesn’t depend on whether it’s N$50 000 for someone directly involved in the war or N$20 000 if he was only an activist. Nothing more,” he said.
National hero status
Lubowski, a Swapo member, anti-apartheid activist and advocate, was assassinated in 1989 – allegedly by operatives of South Africa’s Civil Cooperation Bureau. In 2015, he was declared a national hero, and his remains were reburied at the National Heroes’ Acre.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary standing committee on constitutional and legal affairs has recommended that the Veterans Act be amended to extend benefits to all children born in exile during the liberation struggle.
Committee chairperson Kletus Karondo said although the ministry engaged affected dependents, “the Act only makes provision for minors under 18 – hence it was a challenge for the ministry to take care of the needs of dependents of war veterans over the age of 18.”
The committee’s report described this exclusion as “an oversight”, noting that many children were born in exile and even joined the struggle as minors.
The issue has also been the subject of court challenges, with the former Ombudsman and the Khorixas Youth Forum previously dragging the government to court over decisions relating to the employment of the so-called “Children of the Liberation Struggle”.
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This follows comments by Lubowski’s daughter, Nadia, who said the family has never received tangible support from Swapo or the government, despite his reburial at the National Heroes’ Acre in Windhoek in recognition of his role in the struggle.
“Anton Lubowski does not qualify for war veteran benefits because that programme only started in 2008. And you cannot apply on behalf of someone. Anyone who did not qualify before that time is not eligible,” Mubita, also a Swapo central committee and politburo member, told Namibian Sun yesterday.
Speaking on NTV’s The Agenda on Sunday alongside her mother, Gabrielle, Nadia said the family had tried to access material support that many liberation icons or their relatives receive as a token of appreciation.
“[Among the] attempts we made was during some point in the past [when] it was alleged that all children of those who died in the struggle would receive N$30 000. We submitted all the required details and applied at the Swapo offices for financial support to further studies, but we never received the money,” Nadia explained separately in an email from South Africa, where the family resides.
“At one point, my mother also phoned the veterans office to enquire about the veterans’ pension money, but she was told applications had closed. The point is we received absolutely no support from Swapo – emotional, social or financial.”
Once-off grant
Mubita emphasised that recognition as a war veteran does not automatically translate into financial benefits.
“It’s difficult, you see. What about people like [Tobias] Hainyeko? He’s a hero, yes, but how does he benefit? How do his family members benefit? The only benefit Lubowski could have had would be if he had a child under 18 at the time the law was enacted,” he said.
Hainyeko was the first commander of Swapo’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), and was killed in action near the Kwando River in 1967.
“Imagine if you opened it up to all who joined the struggle in the 1960s and passed away long ago – the Tobias Hainyekos and others. Who would benefit?” Mubita asked.
He noted that benefits for war veterans include a monthly subsidy and project funding, but stressed that Lubowski had already died before the policy came into effect. Families, however, can still apply for one-off grants of N$50 000 or N$20 000, depending on whether the deceased was directly involved in combat or was an activist.
“That one, the family can easily get. It doesn’t depend on whether it’s N$50 000 for someone directly involved in the war or N$20 000 if he was only an activist. Nothing more,” he said.
National hero status
Lubowski, a Swapo member, anti-apartheid activist and advocate, was assassinated in 1989 – allegedly by operatives of South Africa’s Civil Cooperation Bureau. In 2015, he was declared a national hero, and his remains were reburied at the National Heroes’ Acre.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary standing committee on constitutional and legal affairs has recommended that the Veterans Act be amended to extend benefits to all children born in exile during the liberation struggle.
Committee chairperson Kletus Karondo said although the ministry engaged affected dependents, “the Act only makes provision for minors under 18 – hence it was a challenge for the ministry to take care of the needs of dependents of war veterans over the age of 18.”
The committee’s report described this exclusion as “an oversight”, noting that many children were born in exile and even joined the struggle as minors.
The issue has also been the subject of court challenges, with the former Ombudsman and the Khorixas Youth Forum previously dragging the government to court over decisions relating to the employment of the so-called “Children of the Liberation Struggle”.
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