8 April 1988

* * Archbishop Tutu flies into Namibia • reports inside today -------* * *. Kalangula decision to meet P W may cause a storm --------------------STAFFREPORTERS ------------------- THE DECISION by the Chairman of the Ovambo Administration and leader of the Christian Democratic Action (CD A), Mr Peter Kalangula, to meet with the South African State President, Mr P W Botha, today, is set to cause controversy. Mr Justus Garoeb, leader of the Damara Council and Chairman of the Damara Administration, announc ed his refusal to meet with Mr Botha earlier in the week. ·While the exact agenda for the ment, and that any alternative con Certain observers believe that Mr meetiqgs with the State President and stitutional arrangement would not Kalangula should meet with Mr his entourage is not known, it is wide bring the country any closer to peace. Botha, if only in order to reiterate his ly speculated that Mr Botha comes . Mr Kalangula said he was opposed to commitment to Resolution 435. These here to insist on 'minorjty rights any elections taking place, which were sources added: "how will be know what guarantees' in any future constitution; not in accordance with the accepted they're (the South African delegation) and will also approach the various settlement plan. doing here and what they want" if 'ethnic' governments with a view to He also said he would take up the nobody was prepared to meet with holding 'ethnic' or 'regional' elections, issue of the closure of the Ponhofi them. in order to elect leaders. Secondary School in northern This same source said that several parties, including Swapo, had said they FACE-TO· FACE today: Mr P W Botha and Mr Peter Kalangula. "IF MR BOTHA is coming here with an open mind were prepared to talk to the South African Government. and an open agenda, then why have only interim However, other sources believed that government and socalled ethnic leaders been ask Mr Botha's visit was geared to the questions of minority rights and SA ACTS ONLY ed to meet with him?", was the view of one critic. regional elections, and that it would not help to take a stand infavourof435. Late yesterday, Mr Kalangula stated Namibia, with the State President. Some sources also said that Mr that he would meet with Mr Botha, The school was closed after students Botha would seek Mr Kalangula's opi IN ITS OWN although he himselfwas unsure ofthe demanded the removal of a security nion on ethnic/regional elections, and exact agenda. force base near the school, and Mr ifMr Kalangula was not in favour, that Asked what he would say, Mr Kalangula expressed concern that 700 the South African State President Kalangula said he would emphasise to scholars were now unable to attend would "pull the rug" from under the INTEREST SAYS Mr Botha that as far as he was concern school. feet of the present Ovambo ed UN Resolution 435 was still in force, Meanwhile various reactions . Administration. and had been accepted by all parties, greeted Mr Kalangula's decision to , SWAPOLEADER incl uding the South African Govern- meet with Mr Botha. Continued on page 3 -------- BY GWEN LISTER------ "IF THE VISIT by the South African State President and his ••• and Tutu flies in entourage to Namibia were to have any historic significance, it should be geared towards disbanding the socalled interim government of national unity and announce a date for ceasefire and the implementation of UN Resolution 435". So said Swapo's Joint Foreign Affairs Secretary, Mr Niko Bessinger, on the eve of Mr. P W Botha's visit to Namibia this week. In a statement reacting to the visit was 'divide and rule', also known as 'se by the top level South African delega cond tier governments' and division tion, Mr Bessinger added that "the sad along ethnic lines -in short, the under fact of the matter is that the colonial mining of national unity, the under master is coming here to ensure that mining of nationhood. the Namibian population remains "Namibians serving on second tier fragmentedand to further underscore the policy of separate development and 'to deliberately undermine the will of the majority of the people of the country". He said that socalled "protection of minority rights" was to become a ma jor issue on the agenda and would also \. be widely used in the media. But at the end of the day, Mr Bessinger con tinued, this catchphrase would only serve to confuse and create more ques tions, and in the end, serve the in terests of South African colonialism well. In the Namibian context, he added, 'minority' did not mean 'white', since the 'whites' constituted the second largest socio-political group in the country. In the Namibian context, he went on, 'minority' could only refer to Mr Niko Bessinger those whose interests were in seeing independence not realised for governments should ask themselves Namibia. why does the South African Govern Mr Bessinger said that often the col ment, whose motto 'Ex Unitate Vires' onial power referred to the 'right ofself (In Unity is Strength) insist on having determination' of the people of Namibians divided". Namibia. But, he added, "one can on "The colonial masters will come and ly comment that this right to selfdeter then they will leave and there should mination's fragments are scattered be no doubt in most minds after the across the country at the impact of the visit, who is in charge of government coloniser's military boot, repressive in colonised Namibia - South Africa laws and the exploitation of natural as and South Mrica alone". ARCHBISHOP Desmond Tutu flew into Namibia yesterday, and will be up north to well as human resources". "It is a patriotic responsibility of all day (Friday) and Saturday where he will co~duct services in the Anglican Church at He said that all Namibians should Namibians to rally in support oflibera Odibo and Oshakati. With Bishop Tutu were several eminent colleagues. He will also realise that South Africa acted and tion, and independence, which would conduct a service in Katutura on his return to Windhoek on Sunday. decided in its own interests. Part of the be realised by the implementation of policy that served that very interest UN Resolution 435 of 1978". .. • 2 Friday April 8 1988 THE NAMIBIAN ANGOLAN'S SAY THAT EVEN THE PRESIDENTIAL REGIMENT OF PRETORIA IS FIGHTING IN CUITO ANGOLAN television last Friday retreat that followed its failure". showed that on March 23 elite According to the local command, said South African troops and Angop, the South Mrican forces were members of Pretoria's Presidential halted about 640 metres from Fapla's Regiment took part in fighting on first defence line, contrary to Pretoria's the Cuito Cuanavale front. claim of having destroyed the Angolan According to the official Angolan army's first defence line at Cuito news agency, Angop, it showed the Cuanavale. identity card of Private Sean Colin "The South Africans tried to break from the 82nd brigade of that regi through the minefields, using ment, found among other documents sophisticated British-made Centurion of his in a captured tank. tanks. Under heavy Fapla artillery Commenting on this new factor, one fire, they were forced to retreat, leav ofthe Angolan officers interviewed on ing behind them destroyed tanks, in the programme said that the type of . fantry weapOns and a number of dead;' military unit to which Colin belonged Angopsaid. was proof of the "ever-higher level of and 150), in addition to Unita South African involvement". elements;' said Angop. They were no longer ordinary units According to the 'Opcao' television of Pretoria's army, but elite units, he programme, South African troops kill added. ed a number of Unita elements on the Lt-Col Ngueto of the sixth military - Cuito Cuanavale front on March 23. region (Cuando Cuango), pointed out "The incident happened after a that the South Africans had embark violent 15-hour exchange of artillery ed on their March 23 offensive with ex fire, when the South African forces had cessive optimism, probably because of to beat a retreat and ran over the elite troops. everything in their way, including "They threw into the operation three Unita members who had been perch mechanised columns, including Bat- . ed on the tanks;' said Angop. talion 91, two tank battalions (with the The programme showed some of the 82nd brigade ofthe~Presideritial Regi bodies crushed by the sophisticated ment), and another seven regular bat tanks, used by the South Africans in talions, four of them mixed (4, 450, 9 the offensive and in the "disorderly FLASHBACK to South African withdrawal from Angola in the mid- Seventies. Questions about Shikongo Teachers before being beaten To teach at a modern private primary school in A CIVILIAN, Mr Johannes Nghikakama from Ona ingududu in northen Namibia this week claimed that Namibia members ofthe SADFrecently questioned him about acer Oranjemund, where the Orange along the coast. tain Shikongo before beating him up and shooting him River enters into the Atlantic, is The town has a modern through the left arm. a pleasant modern town housing shopping complex, hospital and excellent sporting and Another civilian who was accompa stopped and he was thrown out of the approximately 7 000 inhabitants. nying the assaulted man is reported truck. One soldier allegedly radioed The town community is run recreational facilities which ly missing since. and a gunship appeared to take the by CDM (PTY) Limited, a include an 18-hole golf course, a The beaten up man told reporters badly injured man to the airforce wholly owned subsidiary of the yacht club and a horse riding from this newspaper that he and a sickbay.

Load more