Defence and Veterans Affairs Minister Frans Kapofi has dismissed suggestions by the Association of Dependents of Veterans of Namibia (ADVN) that children of living and deceased war veterans should get special recognition, access to welfare benefits and monthly stipends.
Members of ADVN last Tuesday took to the streets to demand an official response from Kapofi, who they said was yet to respond to their demands contained in a petition that was handed over to the ministry some three months ago.
In their earlier petition, the group demanded an urgent amendment to the Veterans Act 2 of 2008 to allocate benefits to children who were born in exile as well as dependents of war veterans and grant them the same rights and benefits as war veterans.
“We are excluded and ignored. We are children of the veterans of the liberation struggle that fought for Namibia’s independence,” the group’s secretary-general Petrus Nendongo, said last Tuesday while demanding to see Kapofi.
On Friday, Kapofi in his response to ADVN’s two petitions of 29 August and 1 December, said the groups demands are farfetched and do not speak to the true realities and aspirations of all Namibians.
“At the centre of your petitions is a concern of what you have referred to as the “slow implementation of the recommendation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affair”, which has called for the review and amendment of the Veterans Act, 2008 as amended, to ensure that all children who were born in exile or those who participated in the war as minors are accommodated in the Veterans Act, and can qualify to benefit from the ministry’s programmes. The issue is convoluted, and as such, the Parliamentary Standing Committee’s recommendation has not been implemented,” said Kapofi.
He continued: “The struggle for independence was fought from all corners of the country. The children born to veterans in exile are just like all other children born to other Namibian veterans in the country at the time of the liberation struggle. They cannot be treated differently from other descendants of Namibia who bore the brunt during the liberation struggle.
“In addition, there are people who, during the liberation struggle, were tortured either at school or in communities, some of them were children by then. If consideration is only given to the children of the exiled veterans, what would happen to fellow Namibians like them?”
The minister explained that while the Veterans Act only makes provision for a special category of people, government is well aware of the many socioeconomic hardships facing Namibians, and efforts will continue to be made on all fronts and through various agencies to address the plight of all Namibians.
The minister also questioned ADVN’s legal status and legitimacy, saying the ministry only recognises the Namibia National Liberation Veterans Association (NNLVA) and handles all issues of war veterans through it. “It is imperative to note that although Section 44(1) of the Veterans Act, states that, ‘veterans and dependents of living or deceased veterans may form an association or organisation for the purposes of representing their interests’, Section 44(3) of the same Act states that upon receipt of such an application, the minister may recognise only one association or organisation. “In this regard, the Namibia National Liberation Veterans Association has been the legally recognised. Also, take note of the legal definition in Section 1 (Act No.2 of 2008) of what a dependent child means.”
-ohembapu@nepc.com.na