Ondangwa
Three ‘children of the liberation struggle’ were arrested while others melted into the nearby location, Okapale, yesterday morning after they were engaged in a scuffle with the police.
Monday’s scuffle with the police involved about 80 struggle kids, who have been picketing outside the Danger Ashipala Police Training Centre in Ondangwa.
Struggle kids had, as early as 07h00, blocked the main entrance to the Danger Ashipala Training Centre in Ondangwa prohibiting staff members at the centre from accessing their offices saying they also want to be trained.
They used huge tree branches and metal objects to block the entrance while they sat on the objects they used to block the road.
The police were called to the scene to disperse the struggle kids from the training centre when violence erupted.
During the chaos, traffic leading to the Danger Ashipala Police Training Centre in Ondangwa, which is just adjacent to the road, also came to a standstill.
The police blocked the road to avoid motorists and vehicles from being hit with stones that were thrown by struggle kids.
Oshana police regional commander, Commissioner Rauha Amwele, said the group has been camping there for almost a month now and they want jobs.“The group apparently wants to be taken into the force, that’s why they blocked the training centre,” said the commissioner.
The commissioner said that although the group refused to cooperate at the beginning, the police decided to use minimal force in order to remove them.
“We have also warned them that any violence will lead to arrests. Therefore, just after we moved them, we did not record any violence here,” she said.
Shebeens across the training centre were also ordered to close while the police attempted to restore order.
The struggle kids started throwing stones when two of their members were arrested and thereafter dispersed in different directions in the location.
Group leader, Simeon Shikulo – who spoke while in hiding – said a third member was arrested far from the scene where he had gone to hide.
He related that they did not plan to fight, “it’s just that the police like fighting”.
“We have been calling the head of the base to speak to us regarding our safety and that is why we blocked the gate hoping that they would finally speak to us, but that could not happen as the police arrived,” said Shikulo.
Shikulo said the group wanted to be sheltered in the training centre, as they are at risk.
“We also just want to be inside the training centre,” said Shikulo.
About 123 struggle kids are currently staying inside the training after refusing to return to their homes.
The 123 were brought in from Mururani while they were en route to Katima Mulilo police training in search of training.
The Deputy Director in the Directorate of Youth Development in the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service, Patrick Haingura, at the time told New Era that the struggle kids were brought to the centre so that they could return home and not for training as they alleged.
Shikulo said one of the struggle kids, 30-year-old Paulus Shimwinyo, was hit by a Toyota Venture on Friday and is recuperating at the Onandjokwe Hospital.
“This was an eye opener, our safety is at risk; we also want to go inside,” said Shikulo.
Meanwhile, the police relocated the struggle kids’ tents along the training centre to the other side of the road.
By midday on Monday, the struggle kids were still in hiding.
The arrested struggle kids are Ndapandula Shigwedha, Fredrick Amukoto and Haikonda Johannes.