By Surihe Gaomas
WINDHOEK
With in-depth round table discussions expected between government and ex-combatants this week, the standoff between the two groups seems to be over.
After a weeklong sit-in demonstration in front of the Ministry of Justice by a group of ex-combatants last week, by late Friday afternoon an amicable consensus was reached for the demonstrators to vacate the premises.
This latest move is seen as a sign of victory by the National Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants, as it was the first time that the two sides had agreed to amicably iron out the grievances of the ex-combatants around a round table of talks, anticipated either today (Monday) or tomorrow (Tuesday).
“We will be meeting on the resolutions of our demands as outlined in our petition. We will further discuss how much should be paid to each ex-combatant. This is a very big victory for us,” said Alex Kamwi, spokesperson of the National Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants.
The talks will be held with high-ranking officials from the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Veteran Affairs and the National Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants.
Encouraging the ex-fighters to go home until these talks get under way, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Veteran Affairs Ndeilapo Amagulu said that government fully understands the plight of ex-combatants.
“Your problem is government’s problem and government therefore takes these issues of ex-combatants very seriously. This problem is a Namibian problem. I will come back to your leaders soon and we will sit together and address all your problems in the shortest possible time,” said Amagulu when addressing the ex-fighters last Friday.
He urged that the ex-freedom fighters should remain calm and focussed, as steps are now under way to resolve the issue at hand in an amiable way.
Having taken more than a month to prepare for the demonstration and sitting out in the cold for almost a week, the ex-combatants see their latest situation of at least being heard by government this week as a positive sign. “Since 2004 we wanted to have a platform with government and now we can sit down and talk step by step, point by point on our resolutions, until we reach an agreement,” explained Kamwi.
Early last Friday the ex-combatants were issued with an immediate eviction order by the Windhoek High Court to vacate the premises where they had been demonstrating since last week Monday.
This eviction was prior to a summons from the High Court brought by the applicants in the name of the Government of the Republic of Namibia, with the second applicant being the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs while the third was the Ministry of Justice.
The summons was served on Ruusa Malulu as the first respondent, Alex Kamwi as the second respondent and the National Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants/Ex-Freedom Fighters as the third respondent.
The latest eviction order states that the respondents were occupying the area (premises) in front of the Telecom Building and Justice Building on Independence Avenue and had to leave without delay.
“The respondents and any such persons are hereby prohibited from occupying the premises contrary to the relevant municipal regulations,” reads the order by Acting Judge, Justice Pickering.
Reacting to this order by late Friday the group of ex-combatants had packed their belongings and got onto two municipal trucks on their way back to Greenwell Matongo in Katutura.
All that remained at the spot they left were some doves picking up their crumbs.
Meanwhile, the National Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants is appealing for generous donations from the public for their daily upkeep in terms of food, blankets and travelling costs.