Bwabwata incident seen as attack on Namvet

The chairperson of the Namibia War Veterans Trust (Namvet), Jabulani Ndeunyema, sees the shooting on a group of San people harvesting devil’s claw in the Bwabwata National Park on 3 July as a provocation against former SWATF/Koevoet.
The man who got shot in both legs during the incident, John Johannes, a former member of SWATF, is a member of Namvet, which continues its mass demonstration to demand veteran status from the Namibian government.
“We are experiencing problems in independent Namibia. We are almost running out of alternatives. We have been trying to speak to the government peacefully but it still refuses to meet with us. It continues to insult us and that is why they are killing us,” Ndeunyema charged.
Johannes is still in the Andara State Hospital where he is recovering from the wounds sustained in the shooting.
Namvet also claims that the war memorial at the former SWATF camp at Opuwo, where the Putuavanga Senior Secondary School is today, was deliberately destroyed between 20 and 25 June.
The memorial was erected around 1985. Originally 25 names were engraved on the side, of mostly Namibians who died in service of the South African army and police. These names were removed from the memorial in 1989.
The regional police commander of the Kunene Region, Commissioner James Nderura, yesterday said the destruction of the memorial had not been reported to the Opuwo police station or to his office.
The Namvet members participating in the sit-in that started at the Red Flag Commando Hall in Katutura nearly eight months ago intend to “relocate” their mass action to various “more visible” locations in Windhoek before the end of July.
Ndeunyema said remaining at the Commando Hall is like “being in hiding”.
While he would not divulge the alternative venues considered for a continuation of their sit-in, Ndeunyema hinted at open spaces in front of the offices of the former Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs, United Nations House, as well as the embassies of Britain and the United States.
“When things get out of hand people run to the UN. Things are getting out of hand here,” Ndeunyema said.
“We know this comes at a risk; they can come and kill us. If a war breaks out between former SWATF/Koevoet and the NDF [Namibia Defence Force], let it be. These people [former SWATF/Koevoet] are ready to die. They are already in danger.”

CATHERINE SASMAN