ICRC Agrees to War Probe

* TODAY: FULL REPORT ON LAND CONFERENCE'* W'IMBLEDON FINALlY GOES AHEAD * 50c (GST Inc.) Wednesday June 25 .. Stalemate at Tsumeb * TCL miners stage demo * as wage talks deadlock MINERS at the Tsumeb copper mine late yester STAFF REPORTER day started what was described as one of the biggest demonstrations since independence as wage talks Union. 'LAND should not be bought or sold. It belongs to God,' says Kavepu Hijatjivi in a deadlocked. The demonstration was set to continue Late yesterday the manage- new video produced especially for the Land Reform Conference. His is one of many around the clock at least until today. _ ment was reportedly refusing - to remove Gowagab. At the Namibian voices which features in the video. See also, p3. The land issue is being hotly According to sources at the Mineworkers' Union of debated by more than 500 delegates at the conference, see report below, and p3. time of going to press late last Tsumeb, more than 300 work Namibia, are demanding that night they were still engaged Photograph: Steve Felton ers gathered outside Tsumeb management remove a Mr in talks with MUN officials Corporati<;>n Limited's head "Kraai" Gowagab from their and unavailable to comment -office.IMlCal source said more;,. team. on th~ story, or on reports L'tat were expected to join the dem Gowagab, they say, is from one miner was killed and an onstration as thc:y come off the negotiating team of a other injured in a mystery ICRC agrees shift. "sweetheart" union called the explosion underground. The miners, all members of South West Africa Miners MUN's TCL branch chair man John Nendengo, who is part of the union negotiating team with Secretary-General to war probe Andrew Nangolo, said in a THE MAJOR dilemma facing Namibia was not statement yesterday that TCL A POSITIVE response to manager Paer Kinver had added necessarily how much land insult to injury when he told the Namibian Govern KATEBURUNG the State could acquire for the union that Gowagab was a redistribution. Rather it ment's request that the dealing with foreign govern senior mill operator who rep was to examine the use to ICRC investigate the ments, as in the case of this resented. "Damaras" on the which redistributed com whereabouts of Namibians mission. mine as well as advising man- mercialland should be put. who went missing during "The Narnibian Govern agement. Inhis address to the national the war of liberation can ment's request to other coun NeD8endo hit back: "MUN conference on land reform be expected shortly. ICR C tries to co-operate in the search has no place for tribal and ethnic yesterday, Namibian Prime head of delegation in for missing persons is highly · divisions in our country. Kin Minister Hage Geingob cau Namibia Nicholas de important," said De ver's tribal and apartheid tioned that land reform would Rougemont said yesterday Ro~emont, adding that the mentality must go, as a for fail unless it led to the produc ICRC would be naming sev eigner Kinver must leave this that Geneva's official reply tive use of land. eral such countries in its ofl'i country." Again Kinver was Geingob said land reform in was in the process of being cial reply. Angola, Zambia, only expected to be available other countries had frequently drafted, but confirmed that Botswana and South Africa to comment on these charges failed to generate long-term "the response will be posi would be among them, he said. later today. benefits for the target popula tive" • . De Rwgemont said the ICRC Talks on the union's demands tion, who became unduly de The Government made the was honoured by the confi over wages and conditions pendent on Government sub request in a letter to the ICRC dence displayed in it by the began on June 3 at TCL head sidies. last week, after months of Namibian Parliament and quarters. The company took On equity ,Geingob said one negotiation to establish work Government. "We always have until yesterday to consider these of the prin::iple objectives would ing procedures for the investi an international mandate to and talks restarted, this time be to eliminate the extreme gation, An initial request to the search for missing persons with Gowagab brought in as social and economic inequal international organisation was during and following conflicts, part of the management's team. ity inherited from the colonial made last November by the but it is heartening to receive According to Nengendo: apartheid system. National Assembly, but the such a vote of confidence. ' , "MUN consider such negota Namibia should strive to ICRC was unable to accept the He said the ICRC's main tiations with company man wards ., improving access to mission unless approached interest was in putting to rcst agement confidential between directly by the Government. A PATIENT from Rundu being rushed to Katutura the company and MUN. We land and providing a fairer share the anxieties of as many fand Hospital yesterday was injured when the ambulance in of the income from the use of De Rougemont explained that lies as possible, but stress ~ d see no need to negotiate with land to the majority of rural theICRChad to talk to "those that it would first deal with which he was being transported collided with a taxi and Swamu when we demand bet- people who hold the key", overturned within sight of the hospital building. See continued on page 2 especially when it came to continued on page 2 story, p3. Photograph: Tyappa Namutewa. - continued on page 2 1 THE majority opinion at should be used to getlanduoril · Chief Hendrik Witbooi who vide the mooey for buying back the Land Conference being "big fanners". I JOSPEH MOTlNGA I said the Witboois could claim the land. Stones fly held at the Swawek Hall The historic land summit, that their traditional area A K wanyama chief said the appears to be that land which kicked off yesterday, representatives of the Hoacha stretched up to Horringkrans land of the Owanlbo stretched must be given back to the has brought together one of t ~ 1e nas community, They argued and Naukluft Nature Reserve. up to Grootfontein unlike to widest ranges of interest groups . that their land stretched well But, said Witbooi, they would day when they were restricted over people "immediately". " -, and organisations ever se~n up to the Nossob -River and not do so in the interest of to the boundaries of Namutoni. However, people also recog under one roof. asked for the land adjacent to reconciliation. A delegate from the Topnaar lost land nised that in the interest of Among those pushing for the Hoachanas to be reir¥:orporated. He then suggested that Ger reconciliation compensation return of ancestral land were Joining this argument -was many and South Africa pro- continued on page 3 1•••• :••••••••••••• 1••••••• :: •. a . 'i§M.i4~ .··. D ··.·. eB~M ···.· ~~§ •••••1 ••••• ·•••· •••••••••••••••••••• 1 Namibians", he noted. crucial issue was not what However, the Prime Minis people were, but what they could ter added: " Our concern for become if provided with the the restitution of land rights, opportunity. justice and equity in the allo "Programmes which succeed cation of land resources should in helping the rural poor to not divert us from the need to improve their production and ensure the long-term economic income and which, at the same viability of our land reform time, are cost effective will programme." have the most impact on rais He pointed out that a lesson . ing employment," he empha to be learnt from land reforms sized. elsewhere was that too often The Prime Minister further poor subsistence farmers, in outlined options to be consid cludiq~ women, were excluded ered by the ,?onference with because they were bc>lieved to regard to the redistribution of inefficient, unprodur.; tive and commercial land. not worthy of assistaace. "Land These included: acquisitiGn distribution ha~ rn.:rinly bene of foreign-owned farms; ac fitted the better-off members quisition of farms in the ex of the communit"j," Geingob cess ' of one, owned by indi said. v.iduals; land owned in excess "On the other hand, where of a maximum size; acquisi govemments have taken eq tion of under-utilized land; and, uity seriously and provided the possi1;1ly, land farmed with ex necessary supporting services ploited iabour in defiance ' of (extension, credit, marketing, the law or future labour codes. etcetera), the poor and disad vantaged have responded to * For a full report of the the opportunlties offered. " Prime Minister's speech, see The Prime Minister said the tomorrow's paper. tracing requests already regis Geneva Convention and occa tered with the ICRC by rela sional access to FAPLA sol tives of missing persons. diers and foreigners held in Some of these requests went Unita-controlled territories. back to the late 1970's and The search envisaged by the early 1980's when the ICRC ICRC in the coming months was first allowed to visit Cer would inevitably mean wider tain persons detained in pris access to Angolan prisons, ons and police cells in Na which is why the full support mibia. Since then a number of and negotiating power of the people had come to the ICRC Namibian GoverQInent was offices and filled out tracing ess'entia!' request forms. Until that back The ICRC woUld tnake quar log had been cleared, no new terly reports to the National tracing requests would be ac Assembly which would deal cepted. The ICRC would in with quantatative and statisti form people when it was ready cal information, not the circum to take on further cases.

Load more