War Veterans' Perceptions on 'Compensation'
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DISARMAMENT, DEMOBILISATION AND REINTEGRATION OF COMBATANTS IN NAMIBIA: WAR VETERANS’ PERCEPTIONS ON ‘COMPENSATION’ Olivia Ndiwakalunga Ndjadila Supervisor: Prof: Gavin Cawthra Wits School of Governance A research report submitted to the Faculty of Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in 33% fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Management (in the field of Public and Development Management) 2016 Tel: +264 61 305 205, Cell: +264811229921, Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT The purpose of this research study was to obtain the views and perceptions of Namibia veterans of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), the armed wingof SWAPO, on compensation as a part of the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) process. This process compensates former freedom fighters as a reward for having contributed to the liberation struggle. DDR is one of the most important peace stabilising tools that is internationally recognised and the UN has adopted it as a pre-requisite for any peace agreement process in countrieswhich had experienced violent conflict. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the war veterans’ perception regarding ‘compensation’ being paid as a reward to former fighters of the Namibia liberation struggle by the Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs.Structured interviews were conducted to collect data, and data analysis was done by identifying themes.Microsoft Excel statistics functions were used to calculate the totals, produce tables, graphs and pie charts. The main finding of the study was that the former freedom fighters were facing many challenges and the government was far from addressing these challenges in their totality. The study found that the government was committed to address the plight of the former freedom fighters; however, the implementation of such a programme was fraught with challenges, such as the lack of resources and good governance. Moreover, the study established that the reintegration process was not addressing the issues of both groups of ex-combatants in Namibia. ii DECLARATION I, Ndiwakalunga Ndjadila, declare that this research report is my own, unaided work. It is submitted to the Faculty of Management, University of Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters’ of Security Management (in the field of Public and Development Management). It has not been submitted before for any degree or any examination at this or any other University. Olivia Ndiwakalunga Ndjadila 31 March 2016 iii DEDICATION This report is dedicated to my late father, Martin Shihepo, my three children, Cindy Ndapadula, Neville Helao and Marsha Tangeni Nelao Ndjadila, Julius Nakaleand their guardian, Meme Linda Nghipundaka, whose selfless support for all my endeavours is an inspiration. I am truly grateful for their unconditional love, support and patience shown to me during my study. I would never have been able to complete this research report without their support. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere thanks to Professor Gavin Cawthra, my supervisor, for his guidance throughout the research process, even in the face of my unpolished grammatical challenges; Mr Ludwig Musati, for his assistance throughout my study by being therefore me as a mentor and a pillar of encouragement. I will forever cherish your selfless efforts and dedication to see to it that the Office of the President is making strides in the academic world. The war veterans of the Namibia liberation struggle, for assisting with this research by providing me with information and being open in sharing their challenges. I will forever admire your bravery, and will never forget the enormous sacrifices made by our Namibian martyrs. You fought and sacrificed your precious lives and your youthful years for freedom and independence for all Namibians; my employer, the Office of the President, for having confidence in me and offering me a once in a lifetime opportunity by awarding me a bursary which made my studies much easier. Special thanks go to my two colleagues for the unconditional support given to me throughout my study period. To God Almighty who, through His mercy and grace, bestowed His immeasurable blessing on my life and made it possible for me to make my dream come true. Thank You for keeping me steadfast in completing my studies for your glory; Dr Talita Smit of the University of Namibia, for agreeing on very short notice to edit this dissertation in an extra short time. Last but not least, to all my friends who stood by me and gave me their unconditional support. v ACRONYMS APLA Azanian People’s Liberation Army (CPA Comprehensive Peace Agreement CPA Peace Agreement DDR: Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration IDDRS: International Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration Standards GoS Government of Sudan MK Umkhonto we Sizwe MoVA Ministry of Veterans’ Affairs PAC Pan Africanist Congress PLAN: People’s Liberation Army of Namibia SADF: South Africa Defence Force SPLA/M Sudanese People’s Liberation Army/Movement SAF Sudan Armed Forces SANDF South African National Defence Force SC Service Corps SWAPO: South West Africa People’s Organisation SWATF: South West Africa Territorial Force UN: United Nations vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 THE ORIENTATION OF THE STUDY ......................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Background and context of the study .......................................................................... 2 1.3 The problem statement ................................................................................................ 6 1.4 The study objectives .................................................................................................... 6 1.5 Research questions ...................................................................................................... 7 1.6 Significance of the study ............................................................................................. 8 1.7 Literature review .............................................................................................................. 8 1.7.1 Overview of DDR programmes in Africa ..................................................................... 8 1.8 The research methodology ........................................................................................ 10 1.9 Thesis outline ............................................................................................................ 10 1.10 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 11 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................... 12 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Definition of DDR and related terms .......................................................................... 12 2.2.2 The signing of a negotiated peace agreement that provides the Framework for DDR ............................................................................................................................... 14 2.2 3 Trust in the peace process ........................................................................................... 14 2.2.4 Willingness of the parties to the conflict to engage in DDR ...................................... 14 2.2.5 A minimum guarantee of security ............................................................................... 15 2.2.6 DDR practices and Challenges ................................................................................... 15 2.2.6.1 Disarmament ............................................................................................................ 15 2.2.6.2 Demobilization ......................................................................................................... 16 2.2.6.3 Reintegration ............................................................................................................ 16 2.2.6.4 Challenges faced by the DDR practice .................................................................... 17 2.3 Expectations by War Veterans before, during, and after the Struggle........................... 17 2.6 General perceptions of the war veterans of the government efforts .............................. 18 2.7 The evolution of DDR programmes .............................................................................. 19 2.7.1 DDR first wave ........................................................................................................... 20 2.7.2 A second generation of DDR ...................................................................................... 21 2.7.3 Next generation DDR ................................................................................................. 22 2.8 Key factors for successful outcome of DDR ................................................................. 23 vii 2.9 DDR actors and approaches ........................................................................................... 23 2.4 Non-Government Assistance ......................................................................................... 23 2.5 Government Assistance ................................................................................................. 24 2.10 Beneficiaries of DDR programmes .............................................................................