Chinchimane
Mafwe Chief George Simasiku Mamili has appealed to the 35 high treason trial former accused, who were recently found not guilty by the High Court, to desist from harbouring any resentment but to engage in productive activities to help develop the country.
Mamili says any counter-productive tendencies among the 35 could cause disunity and impede development.
Mamili, whose subjects constitute the largest number of those involved in the marathon trial, which emanated from a botched attempt to secede the then Caprivi Region from the rest of Namibia in 1999, made the plea during the annual Lusata cultural festival at Chichimane on Sunday.
Mamili said that his traditional authority will tirelessly work towards integrating those released from prison, so that they become part of the larger Namibian society.
“Those who have been released and found not guilty, I urge you to join the rest of the Namibian house and be identified as such. Remember no amount of anger can solve any problem. This traditional authority will try as humanely as possible to ensure you peacefully integrate into society as you join your families,” said Mamili.
Cognisant of the lost time in a lengthy trial that took 16 years before some of the accused were exenorated, Mamili noted: “You have lost a lot of time in prison to plan economic development for your families. I urge you to take this opportunity to catch up with the rest of the citizens by being involved in productive and progressive development agendas and not to support a fruitless agenda.”
Mamili further commended government for the manner in which the case was handled, noting that delays in the finalisation of the case were perhaps due to the complexity of the trial.
“I want to commend government for dealing with this matter judiciously though not speedily as expected perhaps due to the nature of the case. It has been demonstrated to us all, Namibians and indeed the world, that if one commits or is alleged to have committed a crime in this country, the law will deal with such a person in a legal and transparent manner, and if found guilty or not guilty the court will pronounce itself appropriately,” stated Mamili.
He called on Namibians still in the Dukwe refugee camp in Botswana following the 1999 uprising to come back as Namibia “is free and safe”.
“Come back home before the deadline of December 2015. People who are in Dukwe or in custody will not be harassed upon their return to their motherland Namibia. Those who returned earlier were not harassed.” .
Zambezi Regional Governor Lawrence Sampofu echoed similar sentiments during the event, noting that those released from prison should be embraced by all as they integrate into society.
“These people were out for 16 years. Let’s help them integrate into society. Let’s not point fingers at them. Who are you to do that if the competent courts have found them not guilty?” he said.