Rivals to Meet
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YOUR WEEKEND IS NOT THE 'SAME WITHOUT THE NAMIBIAN I!! "WE wiu be back. Aluta continua. We feel strong. We won't be conquered by the Boers," said one of the wounded PLAN combatants to a reporter who managed to exchange a few hurried words with him at Untag's assembly point at Oshikango yesterday. UN officials intervened as a reporter from this newspaper spoke to the figbters in Osbiwambo, saying: "Don't talk in your language. Don't talk to them anymore." Shortly after this, the Swapo fighter and one of bis comrades were flown away in an Untag helicopter for urgent medical treatment. UN officials refused to say where the guerrillas were taken. Tbey were accompanied by the UN's chief medical officer from Switzerland, and an SADF soldier was also allowed on board with them at the last moment. "" THESE four Swapo fighters (seated) were paraded before the media yesterday at Osbikango. They had alerted ELCIN church personnel to their presence, and had indicated they wished to be taken to a UN assembly point for escort across the border into Angola. The combatant in the foreground on the extreme right had been seriously wounded in a previous battle with South African forces. Reporters were heard to comment on the "inhumanity" of making a badly hurt man sit through a session with the media. The fighter appeared to be on the 'verge of faDing into a coma, and was taken orr to an unknown bospital by helicopter shortly after this photograph was taken. The UNT AG soldiers from Pakistan (background) disallowed reporters of tbis newspaper from questioning the guerrillas in Oshivambo, their mother tongue. RIVALS TO MEET 'Old enemies' to meet face-to-face SWAPO Foreign Affairs Secretary, Mr Niko Bessinger, confirmed on inquiry yesterday that Swapo bas initiated a meeting with the South African Administrator General, Mr Louis Pienaar, witbin the next few days. Mr Bessinger said in Windhoek political rivals would perhaps have offIcials of the Swapo movement that with the implementation of taken place earlier, but events and Approached for comment on the Resolution 435, Swapo wished to the war intervened, inuninent meeting, Mr Gerhard Roux present their credentials to Mr Pi The meeting, Mr Bessinger added, of the Administrator General's of enaar, now regarded as the 'official' would take place soon, fice said that Mr Picnaar would South African representative here in This will be the fIrst official dis •• welcome such a meeting, as long as terms of the settlement plan, ' cussions between the South African there's no pre-publicity", FACE-to-face soon for the first time: Swapo's Niko Bessinger A meeting between these two old appointed Administrator General and and Mr Louis Pienaar. 2 Friday April 14 1989 THE NAMIBIAN R12m UN CONTRACT TO ZIMBABWE AIRLINES AFFRETAIR, Zimbabwe's national cargo airline, has won a United Nations contract to freightsupplies from Europe to UNTAG forces in Namibia. About $5-million (RI2-million) is to be eamed by the end of the con tract, Ziana reports. A statement released in Harare ACCORDING to the Associate General Secretary ofthe Council of yesterday said that the first flight Churches in Namibia, Mr Vezera Kandetu, a wounded Swapo from Schipol Airport in Am$terdam fighter had approached church officials at ELCIN headquarters in to Windhoek would be on April 15. the north obn April 12, requesting to be handed over to the UN. The contract was won after six This was done, according to Mr Kandetu, and later the same day, months of negotiations between another three Swapo fighters, one of whom was injured, reported Affretair and the UN's appointed freight agent amid stiff competition at various church locations and were presented to Untag. from other cargo airlines in the inter An Untag medical officer had tended to the two wounded soldiers national charter market. before all were taken to the Oshikango assembly point to be handed "The cargos uplifted from Europe over to Angolan authorities. Church officials, he added, witnessed will consist mainly of supplies to the the safe arrival of the four soldiers at the assembly point, where, in UNT AG mission for their use in the addition to Untag, one SADF officer was present. execution of their civilian duties in All four had narrowly escaped death and left their weapons at the Namibia, and will not consist of any colash sites, according to Mr Kandetu. lethal or military equipment." the In conclusion he said " we are happy to inform that Un tag has statement said. established an office at Ongwediva church premises. So far Untag It added that Affretair would fol low up the contract flights with a has been confined to military installations, difficult to reach. We view to establishing a scheduled cargo trust that the confidence in Untag will now start to improve" • link between Europe. Windhoek and Harare after Namibia's independence in 1990. "Contact is also being maintained with the local business community on the issue of possible flights with Zimbabwean products to the UN TAG mission in Namibia," it said. NEWS TIPS? Contact us at The Namibian (061) 32165 at 36970 during office Sorry, our number has not been CA TCHING up witb tbe news in tbe newspaper of tbeir choice: hours printed in the 1989 telephone residents or Ondesbir.Jwa in tbe far nortb peruse a copy of Tbe directory. Namibian. BLOOM COUNTY by Berke Breathed Gamsberg Publ ishers ,......--------, 5f/t£5 I1Nfl MI/f(Ke77N& ... THE NAMIBIAN Friday April 14 1989 3 . '.~ -?'; ;'h.,(,;k~, ,.. .. '. ONE of the wounded Swapo combatants who was airlifted to a "secret" hospital after appearing before the media at Oshikango yesterday. Four PLAN fighters, two of whom were injured, were taken under request to a UN assem bly point on Wednesday by church personnel. Angola will SCHOOL confine fighters to base but need REPRISALS Swapo help ANGOLA will do its best to ensure that guerrillas withdrawing Staff reporter from Namibia are confined to bases in Angola but it is counting on Swapo's cooperation to achieve this, the chief Government spokesman REPORTS of reprisals against students at one ofthe scbools in Otjiwarongo foUowingschools stayaway said this week~ on Tuesday have reached The Namibian. The one-day stayaway was called by Nanso in solidarity with Paulino Pinto Joao told reporters in Luanda that the Angolan Government , Plan fighters who have died in battles against South African security forces since Aprill. was ready to receive Swapo guerrillas when they pulled back from Namibia under an agreement worked out by South Africa, Angola and Cuba last Sunday, At least four students from Paresis On Wednesday, students who stayed to matters like staying away from with US and Soviet help. Secaldary ScOOol in Otjiwarongo have away the previous day were called school". The agreement, which will confine the Swapo fighters to bases north of the been barred from their classes pend- out by the Principal who wanted to Of the 29 students who stayed away 16th parallel in Angola away from the Namibia frontier, ended eight days of ing a decision by the School Com- know why they had not come to from school, only four were not taken fighting between Swapo guerrillas and SA security forces. minee following their role in the school. The Principal then sent the back pending a decision by the school "If the fighters regroup on the Angolan frontier, they will be taken north of stayaway. students back home with instructions committee whereas the rest were re- the ,16th parallel, you can be sure of that" Joao said. This is apparently in spite of re to bring their parents back. admitted after being reprimanded. But he said it was difficult for Angolan armed forces to control every inch ported instructions from the Depart By yesterday, a number of stu- The four are allegedly considered of the border with Namibia. "There is no cordon sanitaire, even to stop . ment National Education in Wind dents reported back in the company 'troublemakers' by the school ' au- civilians crossing", he said. "We must count on the cooperation of Swapo" hoek to the effect that no steps should of their parents, some of w hom had thority . he added. be taken against those who stayed come from as far afield as Outjo, Parents are understood to be trying Swapo leaders have criticised details of the withdrawal accord and accused out of school. Otavi, Grootfontein and other Na- to contest the matter and to have the South Africa of trying to use it to trap and capture surviving Swapo fighters. Parents in Otjiwarongo are con mibian towns. four children be re-instated uncondi- They have ordered their guerrillas to return directly to Angola without calling cerned by the seemingly inconsider Some of the parents later voiced tionally. at UN supervised assembly points in Namibia set up to receive them under the ate stance adopted by the Principal disappointment with the way the The principal according to one agreement. Mr NAG Mocke. Principal Mr Mocke behaved and the student source is known for his strong Pinto Joao said Angola's main interest was for a UN independence plan for About 29 out of a total of 740 fact that he took it upon himself to be anti-Nanso stance. Namibia, which began in an outburst of violence on April I, to be fully students from this school stayed away the only speaker whereas they were He is said to have made remarks implemented as scheduled. to join students from other schools just an audience. during his meeting with the students Asked whether Swapo could be trusted to carry out the withdrawal agree who marched around the Orwetoveni One parent said "I think this man to the effect that Nanso members ment, Pinto Joao said: "Why shouldn't we have confidence in Swapo?" township in solidarity with the Swapo does not understand our feelings and never got educated and that they never Angola, which has harboured and helped Swapo fighters since its independ combatants.