Southerners ‘oppressed’ by Swapo govt
• Informal settlements mushroom in Aranos
Residents have questioned 'preferential treatment' received by liberation fighters who went into exile, compared to those who stayed in Namibia.
Some residents of the Hardap Region have accused the Swapo Party government of oppressing them and overlooking them for jobs and liberation veteran status.
This according to a report tabled in the National Council this week.
During a recent outreach visit by National Council members, residents in the south of the country said government is not committed to the election promises it has made since 1989, adding that people need houses, not shacks.
In Aranos, the biggest headache is the mushrooming of informal settlements since the introduction of a minimum wage for farmworkers that has allegedly prompted farmers to retrench and dump their workers at the town.
The report added that these communities accused a parliamentary delegation – which visited them five years ago - of ‘ghosting’ them and failing to respond to their complaints.
Preferential treatment
In both Maltahöhe and Gibeon, residents questioned the preferential treatment liberation fighters who fought outside Namibia get compared to those who faced the apartheid government inside the country.
“A “[Maltahöhe] community member registered a concern on the different treatment of war veterans who were fighting inside the country and those who were in exile. The children of the freedom fighters who died in the country due to liberation activism should be treated the same as the struggle kids,” the report read.
“[In Gibeon], the community feels and stated that the current government is oppressing the people of southern Namibia. They said they are even overlooked for cleaner posts and veteran status recognition.”
Community members further questioned the discontinuation of drought relief, which they said has exacerbated their existing hardships and caused a dire situation at a time when they are beleaguered by the increasing unemployment rate, increasing teenage pregnancies and rampant alcohol abuse.
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This according to a report tabled in the National Council this week.
During a recent outreach visit by National Council members, residents in the south of the country said government is not committed to the election promises it has made since 1989, adding that people need houses, not shacks.
In Aranos, the biggest headache is the mushrooming of informal settlements since the introduction of a minimum wage for farmworkers that has allegedly prompted farmers to retrench and dump their workers at the town.
The report added that these communities accused a parliamentary delegation – which visited them five years ago - of ‘ghosting’ them and failing to respond to their complaints.
Preferential treatment
In both Maltahöhe and Gibeon, residents questioned the preferential treatment liberation fighters who fought outside Namibia get compared to those who faced the apartheid government inside the country.
“A “[Maltahöhe] community member registered a concern on the different treatment of war veterans who were fighting inside the country and those who were in exile. The children of the freedom fighters who died in the country due to liberation activism should be treated the same as the struggle kids,” the report read.
“[In Gibeon], the community feels and stated that the current government is oppressing the people of southern Namibia. They said they are even overlooked for cleaner posts and veteran status recognition.”
Community members further questioned the discontinuation of drought relief, which they said has exacerbated their existing hardships and caused a dire situation at a time when they are beleaguered by the increasing unemployment rate, increasing teenage pregnancies and rampant alcohol abuse.
[email protected]
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