Maria David
THE President of the Namibia National Liberation Veterans’ Association (NNLVA), retired commissioner Ben Shikovelo Shikongo has said that removing the Head of State will only be possible over their dead bodies.
Shikongo said the former combatants have sworn to defend President Hage Geingob with their lives while he was addressing his former comrades at the commemoration of the Battle of Enghandja in the Ohangwena Region on Friday.
He said the anarchistic behaviour of Namibians where leaders are insulted left, right, and centre is unacceptable to the veterans of the Liberation Struggle.
Shikongo, who was quick to blame opposition parties for the bad manners of the youth, stated that many of the new politicians bring confusion into the nation by claiming Swapo has not done anything and that their actions have turned the youth against the ruling party.
“PLAN fighters have worked hard and now they are forgotten. Many parents lost their children on the battlefields of the past and now their sacrifices are forgotten. Instead of focussing on the sacrifices of so many the youth choose to lice self-centred and disrespectful lives,” he said.
Shikongo lamented the fact that many Angolans have died with them and that those sacrifices have also been forgotten. Now the Angolans have become refugees in Namibia.
“Back then they vowed to die with Namibians but now they are not valued at all,” he said, adding that those people must be assisted with services and anything else they might want or need.
Approached for comment, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security, Daniel Kashikole, said that there might be people that think they have been neglected or forgotten despite continuous assistance since 21 March 1990.
“The veterans must simply be identified and registered to receive the assistance they need,” he said.
Kashikole explained that the intention of the benefit from the ministry is aimed at three categories of people. Those who participated in the liberation struggle, those that participated on the political front, and those who were working underground inside Namibia during the struggle.
He stated that no one has been forgotten.
“Those that feel left out are individuals that that need to identify themselves and the work that they have done during the Liberation Struggle. They also need to be registered to start receiving the assistance they need,” he said.
