Veterans’ Affairs Minister calls for patience

THE Minister of Veterans’ Affairs has called on all former combatants of the liberation struggle to remain patient and wait until the new ministry has its structures in place to explain its work to them and to register them.

In a ministerial statement delivered in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Minister Ngarikutuke Tjiriange said that the current registration of war veterans “by a certain Veterans’ Association” had not been mandated by his ministry. “It is important to understand that the concept of veteran ex-fighter for national Independence and former combatant needs to be defined.Therefore, the Ministry has not mandated any would-be veterans or former combatants to register anybody on behalf of this Ministry,” Tjiriange told the House.The ministry was currently preparing its strategic plan, the budget and was further busy drafting the necessary laws to govern its operations, he said.”I call upon all former combatants to remain calm and to wait until all infrastructure is in place (and not) to embark on their registration as veterans or as members of any organisations,” Tjiriange urged.The ministerial officials would organise countrywide meetings to inform former freedom fighters and explain the ministry’s work to them.Tjiriange then took a swipe at the war veterans’ association of Ruusa Malulu and Alex Kamwi and said that the “current registration of former Swapo combatants going on in the regions is not part of this Ministry’s programme”.Queries that were directed to regional governors and Swapo coordinators brought to light that “neither the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs nor the Swapo Party Veterans’ Trust has anything to do with such registrations”.Approached for comment, human rights activist Phil ya Nangoloh said that the Namibian Constitution allowed freedom of association.”Apart from the stipulations in the Constitution it is a fact that private associations of ex-soldiers and war veterans exist all over the world and in Mozambique and Zimbabwe,” Ya Nangoloh said.He is the executive director of the National Society for Human Rights.The spokesperson of the Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants, Alex Kamwi, said earlier that the registration of new members was going well and that over 7 000 had joined.”It is important to understand that the concept of veteran ex-fighter for national Independence and former combatant needs to be defined.Therefore, the Ministry has not mandated any would-be veterans or former combatants to register anybody on behalf of this Ministry,” Tjiriange told the House.The ministry was currently preparing its strategic plan, the budget and was further busy drafting the necessary laws to govern its operations, he said.”I call upon all former combatants to remain calm and to wait until all infrastructure is in place (and not) to embark on their registration as veterans or as members of any organisations,” Tjiriange urged.The ministerial officials would organise countrywide meetings to inform former freedom fighters and explain the ministry’s work to them.Tjiriange then took a swipe at the war veterans’ association of Ruusa Malulu and Alex Kamwi and said that the “current registration of former Swapo combatants going on in the regions is not part of this Ministry’s programme”.Queries that were directed to regional governors and Swapo coordinators brought to light that “neither the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs nor the Swapo Party Veterans’ Trust has anything to do with such registrations”.Approached for comment, human rights activist Phil ya Nangoloh said that the Namibian Constitution allowed freedom of association.”Apart from the stipulations in the Constitution it is a fact that private associations of ex-soldiers and war veterans exist all over the world and in Mozambique and Zimbabwe,” Ya Nangoloh said.He is the executive director of the National Society for Human Rights.The spokesperson of the Committee on the Welfare of Ex-Combatants, Alex Kamwi, said earlier that the registration of new members was going well and that over 7 000 had joined.