Ministry still has to vet the term ‘war veteran’

NAMIBIANS who fought on the South African side of the liberation struggle will have to wait to hear whether the definition of ‘war veteran’ will apply to them as well.

So far Government has only officially recognised former members of the Peoples Liberation Army of Namibia (Plan) as war veterans who are entitled to a pension. However, those who donned the uniform of the SWA Territory Force (SWATF) or the special South African police unit Koevoet, were incorporated in the new defence force and police service at Independence in 1990 under the policy of national reconciliation.Responding to questions from DTA leaders Katuutire Kaura and Philemon Moongo on whether the Ministry of Veterans Affairs would also be responsible for former SWATF and Koevoet members, Minister Ngarikutuke Tjiriange told the National Assembly that the definition of a war veteran still had to be worked out.”Such a determination can not be done by the Ministry unilaterally and must be done through an act of Parliament,” Tjiriange told parliamentarians last week.”I submitted a draft bill to that effect to Cabinet, which I will later table in the House.”I therefore cannot predict at this point whether former SWATF and Koevoet members will be included in such a definition.”Asked by Moongo if Namibian war victims, who also had property stolen by Plan fighters during the liberation war, could hope for compensation from the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, Tjiriange said Swapo (and Plan) committed no such acts.”Swapo did not take the property of people she was fighting for.The apartheid regime used Koevoet (members) to dress and behave as if they were members of Plan.If people’s property was taken illegally, let me assure this august House that it was not Swapo policy.It was either those Koevoet or people who violated the rules and regulations of Swapo,” the Minister said.However, those who donned the uniform of the SWA Territory Force (SWATF) or the special South African police unit Koevoet, were incorporated in the new defence force and police service at Independence in 1990 under the policy of national reconciliation.Responding to questions from DTA leaders Katuutire Kaura and Philemon Moongo on whether the Ministry of Veterans Affairs would also be responsible for former SWATF and Koevoet members, Minister Ngarikutuke Tjiriange told the National Assembly that the definition of a war veteran still had to be worked out.”Such a determination can not be done by the Ministry unilaterally and must be done through an act of Parliament,” Tjiriange told parliamentarians last week.”I submitted a draft bill to that effect to Cabinet, which I will later table in the House.”I therefore cannot predict at this point whether former SWATF and Koevoet members will be included in such a definition.”Asked by Moongo if Namibian war victims, who also had property stolen by Plan fighters during the liberation war, could hope for compensation from the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, Tjiriange said Swapo (and Plan) committed no such acts.”Swapo did not take the property of people she was fighting for.The apartheid regime used Koevoet (members) to dress and behave as if they were members of Plan.If people’s property was taken illegally, let me assure this august House that it was not Swapo policy.It was either those Koevoet or people who violated the rules and regulations of Swapo,” the Minister said.