WINDHOEK – Some of the children of the veterans of the liberation struggle or ‘struggle kids’ who have often been in the media for all the wrong reasons have taken a positive step to help themselves by venturing into informal trading.
Since January about 230 children of the liberation struggle have been at loggerheads with the law due to the fact they have been occupying municipal land illegally. On several occasions, they defied a High Court order restricting them from occupying two plots of land belonging to the Windhoek City Council – the said properties are situated at the corner of Leonard Auala and Hans-Dietrich Genscher streets in Katutura, and are next to the Swapo Party head office. Their behaviour eventually landed them behind bars, but they were granted bail and have since been camping near the Okahandja Park informal settlement on the outskirts of Windhoek. Before their latest preoccupation, many of them took to begging for food and money from passing motorists at strategic traffic intersections in and around Windhoek, generally making a nuisance of themselves.
Their leader, Joshua Joseph Shivute, says life has been so hard that they decided to turn a new leaf and to lead useful and normal lives, and that is why they have decided to venture into business, rather than to rely on begging. “We decided to stop begging, since it was creating a bad image for our Swapo leaders,” he said. Since last month they have been selling snacks, recharge vouchers, fresh tomatoes, onions and fresh fish. “The food we used to get from good Samaritans was never enough. We ended up giving it to the expectant mothers and children. Then we decided to venture into small businesses to help sustain ourselves. Once we raise enough funds from our sales, we are also able to pay our water bills to residents of Okahandja Park where we normally fetch water,” Shivute said.
However, they say although they are trying to lead productive lives, they still need government assistance, especially to get jobs. “Since our arrest in April, no one has come to see us and discuss the way forward about our plight. We want our government to see that we are trying to support ourselves. We want government to help us, because most of us are orphans. Our parents died in exile. When we returned to Namibia, we came with people who are not our biological parents. Government must fulfil its promises, so that we can be independent and support our families since most of us are now fathers and mothers. We are full Swapo members with membership cards, so Swapo leaders must solve our problems,” he said emphatically.
The prices of fresh fish sold by the group range from N$1.50 to N$2.00 depending on the size. They buy the fresh fish from the Namibia Fish Consumption Trust in Ombili and then resell it. According to the group they do not buy the fish in bulk, because they do not have refrigerators in case there are left-overs. Sanitation however remains a big challenge, and they have no choice but to relief themselves in the nearby bushes, because there are no toilet facilities in the area they are occupying. To ensure that the women and children among them are protected, the group has formed a committee comprising of 14 members to provide security. The committee members patrol the area to keep away strangers, especially during the night when it is most risky. “If we become suspicious of any person around us, we normally inform the police. But so far, we have not encountered any threat at the camp, except snakes that roam around us,” the leader told New Era.
The group has expressed disappointment with some members of the public who photograph them without their permission. “We are disturbed by members of the public who find us on our daily parade routine and just start taking pictures with their cellphones and cameras. They must stop, it’s actually illegall to photograph someone without permission, because we do not know what they are going to use our pictures for,” he complained. In addition, the group is adamant they will not move back to the north until their grievances are addressed.
They also appealed to the Ministry of Home Affairs to speed up the process of issuing their national documents, saying: “Now, it is like we are refugees in our own country.” Mpinge Remegaus, one of the children of the veterans of the liberation struggle, who stood tall with a big Swapo flag, said: “Now that we are facing the elections we don’t want to go through elections with broken hearts. We also want to vote and enjoy the fruits of independence fought for by our parents who died during the liberation struggle.” In total there are five big Swapo Party flags flying over some makeshift structures, which serve as their lodgings.
By Albertina Nakale