Namvet plans 7-day protest
The former soldiers say they want SADC leaders to witness their demand for recognition as war veterans.
The Namibia War Veterans Trust (Namvet) intends to stage a seven-day, non-violent demonstration this month to “demand justice from parliament” by recognising the former SWATF and Koevoet soldiers as military veterans.
On 13 August the ex-soldiers want to hand over a petition to Speaker Peter Katjavivi and on 15 August they again want to march to parliament to petition the nine opposition parties in parliament.
On 16 August they will take their protest march to the South African High Commission and on 18 August Namvet will host a public meeting.
The planned activities coincide with the arrival of regional leaders for the 38th SADC summit where President Hage Geingob will be elected as the new chairman of the regional body. The summit will take place on 17 and 18 August.
“We want to be seen in the streets during that week; we want SADC to see,” said Namvet spokesperson, Jabulani Ndeunyema, at a press briefing on Wednesday.
He said after the two-and-a-half year sit-in demonstration by the ex-soldiers it has become apparent that the Swapo-led government was either refusing them entry into the Namibian House, “or that the head of the Namibian House, President Hage Geingob, is scared of his predecessors”, referring to former presidents Sam Nujoma and Hifikepunye Pohamba.
“Swapo has politicised this matter and is playing a deadly political game with this issue. This game they try to play could bring Namibia to a standstill,” Ndeunyema said.
Reasons
A year ago Katjavivi had tasked the parliamentary standing committee on constitutional and legal affairs, chaired by Sebastian Karupu, to investigate and find solutions to the issue of the former soldiers.
Ndeunyema said Namvet received information from an inside source that this committee had submitted a report to Katjavivi on 11 July, which recommended that the former SWATF/Koevoet members should not be recognised as military veterans and should claim old-age state pensions and seek medical care from state health facilities like any other eligible Namibians. The Speaker's office informed Namvet that the report would be made available to it in September and that it could not accede to their demand to petition Katjavivi.
But Ndeunyema said they have in the meantime received information that Katjavivi had rejected the report and Namvet would therefore continue with its petition to Katjavivi. Ndeunyema said opposition parties would be petitioned because they had “failed to put maximum pressure on Swapo to stop its unconstitutional behaviour, which suffocates democracy”.
Namvet wants to march to the South African High Commission to demand information on an alleged secret handover of millions of dollars meant for the ex-soldiers by the South African government to its Namibian counterpart.
Ndeunyema said Namvet was informed that the handover exceeded the N$36 million that the former South African regime had paid over to the Namibian government shortly after independence as pension payouts to the soldiers.
The South African High Commission this week undertook to make enquiries to verify the allegation.
CATHERINE SASMAN
On 13 August the ex-soldiers want to hand over a petition to Speaker Peter Katjavivi and on 15 August they again want to march to parliament to petition the nine opposition parties in parliament.
On 16 August they will take their protest march to the South African High Commission and on 18 August Namvet will host a public meeting.
The planned activities coincide with the arrival of regional leaders for the 38th SADC summit where President Hage Geingob will be elected as the new chairman of the regional body. The summit will take place on 17 and 18 August.
“We want to be seen in the streets during that week; we want SADC to see,” said Namvet spokesperson, Jabulani Ndeunyema, at a press briefing on Wednesday.
He said after the two-and-a-half year sit-in demonstration by the ex-soldiers it has become apparent that the Swapo-led government was either refusing them entry into the Namibian House, “or that the head of the Namibian House, President Hage Geingob, is scared of his predecessors”, referring to former presidents Sam Nujoma and Hifikepunye Pohamba.
“Swapo has politicised this matter and is playing a deadly political game with this issue. This game they try to play could bring Namibia to a standstill,” Ndeunyema said.
Reasons
A year ago Katjavivi had tasked the parliamentary standing committee on constitutional and legal affairs, chaired by Sebastian Karupu, to investigate and find solutions to the issue of the former soldiers.
Ndeunyema said Namvet received information from an inside source that this committee had submitted a report to Katjavivi on 11 July, which recommended that the former SWATF/Koevoet members should not be recognised as military veterans and should claim old-age state pensions and seek medical care from state health facilities like any other eligible Namibians. The Speaker's office informed Namvet that the report would be made available to it in September and that it could not accede to their demand to petition Katjavivi.
But Ndeunyema said they have in the meantime received information that Katjavivi had rejected the report and Namvet would therefore continue with its petition to Katjavivi. Ndeunyema said opposition parties would be petitioned because they had “failed to put maximum pressure on Swapo to stop its unconstitutional behaviour, which suffocates democracy”.
Namvet wants to march to the South African High Commission to demand information on an alleged secret handover of millions of dollars meant for the ex-soldiers by the South African government to its Namibian counterpart.
Ndeunyema said Namvet was informed that the handover exceeded the N$36 million that the former South African regime had paid over to the Namibian government shortly after independence as pension payouts to the soldiers.
The South African High Commission this week undertook to make enquiries to verify the allegation.
CATHERINE SASMAN
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