By Surihe Gaomas WINDHOEK Come next week Monday, hundreds of ex-combatants from all over the country will be holding a peaceful demonstration to petition for only one thing – their compensation money. Bringing this latest news to the attention of New Era yesterday, Assistant Coordinator of the National Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants, Matheus Nangolo, said the demonstration will take place to hand over their final petition to government on June 4 this year. “We are going to give our final petition according to our demands for our money. All we want is our money. We don’t need any projects or housing – first we want our money and then projects can come later,” said Nangolo. He noted that the ex-combatants are still standing on their original demands that, according to the National Defence Force salary, they must either receive N$32ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 times the number of years spent in exile by each ex-freedom fighter; or the second option outlined in their final petition is that N$500ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 be provided to each ex-combatant. “This was the original proposal we sent in writing to President Hifike- punye Pohamba through the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Dr Albert Kawana in September, last year,” added Nangolo. On its part, government has taken up the plight of ex-combatants. In view of this, a Ministry of Veterans Affairs was set up several months ago to cater for their developmental needs. At the same time government is also busy investigating possible measures to improve the various cate-gories of ex-combatants employed in the public service under the Office of the Prime Minister. The peaceful demonstration set for next week Monday in the capital will start from the Greenwell Matongo Community Hall in Katutura right to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs in town. The petition will be handed over to Minister Ngarikutuke Tjiriange at this ministry’s headquarters. “The motive behind the demonstration is for us to get paid, our resolutions need to be attended to, and the projects can come later. We need money now. We gave government two options – they must now choose which one is the cheaper,” added the Chairperson of the National Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants, Alex Kamwi, in a brief interview with New Era yesterday. He added that they had accorded time for government to check their demands, and now all that is remaining is for the ex-fighters to get their money. “Now they must give us the feedback,” said Kamwi. In view of the planned demonstration, authority members of the National Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants held a meeting on May 21 with Namibian Police Chief Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga. In a letter dated May 22, 2007, the police chief noted that the police would provide its usual “security escort” for the demonstrating group from the departure point up to where the petition will be handed over. “You will be demonstrating peacefully and unarmed. You will not camp at any premises as this will be regarded as trespassing, to which the police will be compelled to act in accordance with the law to ensure that safety and pubic order are maintained,” reads the letter further. Questions arose during the discussions whether ex-combatant police members can also take part in the planned demonstration. It turns out that this can be done provided they, or any other civil servant, is on vacation leave in line with the Public Staff Rules on Leave and Absence. Kamwi said that as much as the police have earlier said they should not camp, it was discussed afterwards that they would follow up the issue with the City of Windhoek in order to privately arrange for them a place close to the ministry’s headquarters if there is need for them to camp out until their demands are met. “We believe that by now government has reached a resolution. We have arranged ourselves very properly – we have requested a place in town, and if our demands are not met we will camp. This place is our own private arrangement, which has been approved verbally. We’ve already discussed this with the City of Windhoek and in principle there is no problem with the place,” explained Kamwi further. “All ex-freedom fighters must come in large numbers on June 4. They must make their voices heard and put in leave to come and demonstrate,” he urged.