WINDHOEK – The children of the struggle, or ‘struggle kids’ as they are also known, are doing odd jobs to earn a living. On Friday the group were spotted weeding the yard of the Swapo headquarters in Katutura. Of the 205 ‘struggle kids’ in Windhoek, 67 took part in the cleaning exercise.
Some of the group have resorted to begging at traffic intersections but Erastus Hedimbi, the group leader of the cleaning operation, said: “We do not want to beg.”
The group spokesperson Simeon Niingwendja told New Era that cleaning the Swapo premises began Friday. “We came on our own to show the government that we can work,” Niingwendja said.
“This is our parents’ house, so we do not have to be reminded to clean it,” said Hedimbi. He said the clean-up operation could continue next week, adding that the plan is to clean government offices too, as well as visit private establishments and “clean them to get something to eat”.
But after the interview some of the ‘struggle kids’ were spotted at the traffic intersection at the corner of Independence and Hosea Kutako avenues begging money from motorists.
Hedimbi said they still want jobs from government – “they promised us,” he said. He also took the opportunity to tell taxi drivers to stop hurling insults at them when they come across them at the robots – “they also had their demonstrations,” the leader added.
The ‘struggle kids’ who marched from the north of the country are currently out on bail. They defied a court order barring them from camping at the corner of Leonard Auala and Hans-Dietrich Genscher streets in Katutura next to the Swapo Party head office. The order also stated that they should not unlawfully occupy any property belonging to the City of Windhoek.
By Tunomukwathi Asino