Children of the Liberation Struggle Protest in Katima

Children of the Liberation Struggle of Namibia on streets of Katima Mulilo Protesting, Febr

By Simon Liseli

ABOUT thirty (30) angry children of the liberation struggle of Namibia in the Caprivi region took a peaceful demonstration on February 9, 2012 against unfair recruitment and discrimination.

The petition was handed to the Acting Caprivi Governor Hon. Wardens Matengu Simushi a Councillor for Katima Mulilo Rural Constituency after waiting for him for an hour while standing under the sun in front of the governor’s office.
In their petition the liberation struggle children want to know why their names are being cancelled when sent to different line Ministries for recruitment.

They also mentioned that a very less number of the liberation struggle kids in the region are absorbed in Ministries such as Safety and Security in the department of NAMPOL, Correctional Services, Agriculture, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Defence.

“We are nothing apart from being the children of the liberation struggle in Caprivi region and we want to know why is it that when we want to find out about our plight in different government offices they use vulgar words like you are uneducated people stop troubling us in our offices, you take the country as yours, do you think you are so special?” they said in their petition.

The children further said they want to know as to whom their plights should be attended to as they claim that whenever they approach the Regional Youth Office in Katima Mulilo for assistance, a certain Mr. Mcbollen Sibeso used to tell them that he does not deal with politics without knowing whether the issue of struggle kids is politics.

The Youth Ministry sent about 120 names of them to the Ministry of Health and Social Services and other names were removed from the list by officials within the Ministry leaving only 80 and from 80 only 11 were employed.

“They should tell us the recruitment procedures for recruiting the liberation struggle kids because we need to know and we are being discriminated against from all youth in the region, if there are no jobs we demand the government to assist us financially so that we start up our businesses,” they said.

They have also called upon the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the founding father of the Namibian nation Dr. Sam Nujoma in his capacity as a patron of the Namibian existed kids association to look into the matter and further demanded an answer for their petition before the 18th of February 2012.

 
Receiving the petition Hon. Simushi passed his apology to the children of the liberation struggle for taking their time as he was out of the office. He informed them that as the acting governor he was sympathy with the situation on the ground and he promised to present the petition to the governor the time he will be in the office as he was out of the region and discuss the matter, “We will also invite those relevant Ministries you have mentioned in your petition and find out the reality,” he said.

The Acting Governor further told the children that the information he has is that among the children who were born in exile the Ministry of Safety already absorbs some of them and Security while others are short listed to go for interviews.

“We are going to look into the matter to see whether what you are saying is the reality so I really have sympathy with you as you have indicated that you are giving this petition up to the 18th of February, we will discuss about it and come back to you” he furthered.

Ms.Mavis Kapelwa, the Deputy Chairperson of the Namibian Exile Kids Association in Caprivi region who directed the demonstration added saying she was wondering why Hon. Simushi left the office while he was given a notice that there will be a demonstration on the 9th February in the morning but rather he walked out of the office shortly after 9 o’clock when the demonstration started.

“What does that mean, is it not the corruption we are talking in this region? corruption in this region is there” she said.

Ms. Kapelwa pointed out that the names of the children of the liberation struggle are put aside without valid reasons, “At the hospital 120 names were sent there but only 80 qualified, can you tell us even cleaners they now need to have qualifications and they use words to us like you people are not educated, on your places we will put our families and friends you are just troubling yourself” she quashed.

She further said at the Ministry of Works about five (5) kids of the liberation struggle in 2010 got work and names were sent to the regional office in Katima Mulilo but the man who was in charge just hide the list, “Its only our list that got lost in his office, his papers didn’t what is that? Is it because we are children of the struggle? Education, Agriculture and other Ministries they do the same, what is happening,” she lamented.

The petition was read and handed over to Mr.Simushi by Mr. Morris Muyoyeta one of the children of struggle.

CAPTION: Children of the Liberation Struggle of Namibia on streets of Katima Mulilo Protesting, February 9, 2012.