Oshakati
Oshana Regional Governor Clemens Kashuupulwa warned that government would not take lightly threats made by the so-called ‘struggle kids’ who are camping at Swapo Regional Offices in the Oshana.
Yesterday the group of struggle kids, led by Veronica Iipinge went to Oshana Regional Council offices to deliver their petition to Kashuupulwa. The group is demanding employment from the government as soon as possible.
This is the second group from the same camp to deliver a similar petition to Kashuupulwa since September 18.
After delivering her speech, Iipinge, surrounded by a group of fellow protestors, told the media that the group would take unspecified action if government fails to provide employment to them by the end of this month.
The group claims that officials at Swapo offices have denied them access to water and ablution facilities and they are not prepared to live under the same conditions after October.
“If we’re not given jobs by government we will take action. In 2009 we took action by blocking Okandjengedhi Bridge and some people were injured. We’re not scared to take action once again,” Iipinge said.
In May 2009, over 530 children of the liberation struggle blocked the only road that existed then between Ongwediva and Oshakati and barred all vehicles, including ambulances and police vehicles from crossing Okandjengedhi Bridge.
The protesters set up a barricade of bricks, bottles and thorn-tree branches and wanted to burn car tyres in the road. They were, however, dispersed with teargas by armed police forces.
Kashuupulwa said such threats would not be taken lightly. “Of course it is their democratic right to talk, but we will not allow people to be threatened. We have the police in this region and they are here to enforce law and order.”
Apart from the threats that they made to the media, the governor said he was reliably informed that prior to their departure to Oshana Regional Council, the struggle kids also made threats that “they were going to attack the governor”.
However, when they marched to the regional council offices yesterday, the group of 185 only handed over a petition to Kashuupulwa. This was done in the presence of the police.
The petition is a duplication of another, which was already delivered to the same office by 60 unemployed protesters on September 18. The only difference is the list of names and number of people it contained.
The first list was forwarded to the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service, as per the instruction from central government. “But the latest petition consists of 185 more names, which are of the group members that arrived after September 18,” Kashuupulwa said.
He advised protesters that are not from Oshana Region, but from other regions, including Khomas, Oshikoto, Omusati and Ohangwena, to go and register in their respective regions.
“The law is very clear. One can only attend to the people within your respective region, but these group members are here from various regions and it is difficult for me to attend to all of them,” Kashuupulwa said.