Government disputes war vets claims

The Namibian government of President Sam Nujoma on Wednesday denied that either it or the ruling SWAPO party had ever promised to compensate people for their part in the country’s 20-year armed struggle for independence.

About 115 war veterans are currently camped outside the Osona military base 60 km north of the capital, Windhoek demanding an audience with Nujoma regarding what they say are promises he made to them in 1997 to pay compensation of US $12,000 for their role in the liberation war.

According to ‘The Namibian’, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Information and Broadcasting, Tuliameni Kalomoh, said payment “has never been the issue. Not now or even during the struggle. This was a voluntary struggle,” he added. “There was no commitment. There was not anything as to the reward of the participants in the struggle for national liberation.”

Kalomoh said at present some 600 war veterans receive monthly payments of about US $58 under a different arrangement. This was supposed to be increased to about US $84 under the yet-to-be-implemented War Veterans Subvention Act. He added that the payments will be effected retrospectively from 1 April this year, Kalomoh said.

‘The Namibian’ added that the chairman of a committee investigating the plight of war veterans, Niilo Taapopi, said more than 1,221 people - who will benefit from the War Veterans Subvention Act - have been registered. He said the figure consists of 485 disabled and 736 people aged above 55.

Meanwhile, the first round of talks on Wednesday involving a team of top government officials, led by Taapopi, failed to convince the demonstrators to move inside the Osona base. The team was mandated to listen to the grievances of the demonstrators and to request them to take up the government’s “offer” to stay inside the base.