Anger grows over killing

The secretary-general of the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW), Job Muniaro, has issued a stern warning to Chinese businesspeople to “shape up or ship out”, or face the consequences of a “fed-up” Namibian nation.

Addressing the media on the plight of Namibian workers yesterday, Muniaro emphasised that “exploiters” of Namibian workers must be careful and must start respecting the laws of the country.

“The issue of the normal criminals that are called Chinese, that barbaric incident that happened in Kavango East. We condemn that barbaric action, China itself has a death penalty in their own country and they are coming here to come and kill.

“Is it because they are not in China that they are not afraid to kill?

“So a worker is not allowed to talk about mistreatment in his workplace? If you talk you get a bullet. That is satanic,” he said (sic).

Muniaro also said the problems Namibians experience with the Chinese would never end if “we don't get them out of this county,” or otherwise they must behave.





“This is Namibia, it is not China. Namibia is for Namibians. You will never hear of a Namibian contractor going to China and shoot a Chinese worker who was complaining. What the hell is going on, comrades (sic)?”

He also questioned calls by political leaders that the Chinese must be tolerated.

“Apparently you must respect them, for what good reason? The Chinese must know that the workers of this country are fed up,” he said.

At the same time Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader Job Amupanda has slammed the Chinese ambassador to Namibia, Zhang Yiming, for his “arrogant, insensitive and patronising conduct” in Namibia.

This followed Zhang's decision to send a team of Chinese officials to Rundu in response to the killing of 32-year-old Haushiku Muyevu last Wednesday.

Two Chinese businessmen were arrested for the murder and appeared before the Rundu Magistrate's Court yesterday.

They were denied bail and the matter was postponed to 22 July.

The accused, Xuefeng Chen (29) and Zhenhai Zhou (31), appeared before Magistrate Sonia Samupofu on charges of murder and illegally discharging a firearm.

The State opposed bail.

Chen and Zhou were arrested on 17 April after they allegedly murdered Muyevu at Andara.

Muyevu allegedly demanded severance pay after he was fired and that led to an argument.

Amupanda also took on the ambassador for defending Chinese nationals living in Namibia despite the numerous cases of wildlife crimes against them.

“Ambassador, why do you think that you and the Chinese are special in our own country? We will no longer wait for politicians to raise concerns involving you on our behalf for they have evidently failed to deal with you. We do not appreciate nor approve of your conduct in our country. We expect you to re-orientate yourself and control your language going forward,” he said.

Meanwhile, at Rundu the Muzokumwe Volunteers Organisation handed over a petition to the court's prosecutor to express their anger over the shooting incident.

The chairperson of the group, Paulus Mbangu, said there was no justification for the accused persons to have committed the crime.

“The shooting was premeditated and unnecessary. The late Haushiku Andreas Muyevu was a husband, brother and a breadwinner. He did not deserve to die in such a brutal barbaric manner like an animal with no mercy by his offenders who left him for dead and helpless,” Mbangu said.

“The constitution of a free and independent Namibia protects and values the lives of its citizens unlike it was with the apartheid dispensation. It is for that reason as we now do call a stiffer sentence and in the preliminary incidence oppose any consideration for granting bail.”

Their petition was signed by over 300 people.

JEMIMA BEUKES & KENYA KAMBOWE