Rundu ,Prisoners Complain About Long Detentions

Bringing Africa South- GETTING INTO GEAR THE first group of trainees for Namibia's diplomatic corps will commence with a five to six-week training course on Monday. Out of 150 selected applicants, the first group of 45 will be chosen today to commence the course starting Monday, but a second intake will go into training around September. Permanent Secretary.in the Foreign the week. sought. Affairs Ministry, Andreas Guibeb, The first group of 45 will form the The training, by various career dip said the course would be opened by core of the new diplomatic staff who lomats and academics from various Namibian President, Sam Nujoma, will be posted to Namibian missions countries, will be divided into three and a high-ranking Conunonwealth in Africa and abroad once the foreign principal areas. official; whose name still has to be service goes into operation. These include: management and confinned. It is believed that in August this year, administration of diplomatic missions; The venpe is the Windhoek Teachers Namibia will start opening its em training in diplomatic skills, such as Training College. bassies in Africa and abroad. negotiations, protocol and drafting; The Ministry of Foreign Affairs re Guibeb emphasised that while the and training in constitutional knowl cently advertised for candidates for first group start training on Monday, edge as well as 8ocio-economic con- three grades in the foreign service, recruitment is still on the go for the . ditions of Namibian society so that which included diplomats, adminis second intake which will conunence the future diplomats can adequately trative and secretarial personnel. training in September. He said secre represent the interests of their coun Successful applicants for the· first taries with good skills in stenogra try, people and gove!Dffient, Guibeb intake will be informed by the end of phy and shorthand were still being said. Rundu ,prisoners complain . about long detentions PRISONERS awaiting trial at "I don't know if these people do Rundu this week smuggled out RAJAH MUNAMAVA not knowcourt~ orwbelber a letter from the Rundu prison they do not understand the serious in which they complain about . rape, in which case their files were ness of the charges against them," long detention periods without BIst sent to Windhoek for a decision Adams said. trial . by the Prosecutor-Genenil. Adams He stated that the KavlUl80 was on said. the border With Angola and that it The letter, of which copies are in HUNDREDS of Liideritz residents turned out to see President The public prosecutor said another was sometimes difficult fur the p0- the hands of the Legal Assistance Sam Nujoma open the new Rossing Foundation Education Centre lice to trace suspects. Centre's office in the town as well as reason for the long detentions was in the town on Monday. "It's good for Liideritz when the that when some of the priso.aers Adams identified two categories with th~ public prosecutor for the President comes," said 12-year-old Nazeem Steuard about the awaiting trial were warned to appear of prisoners awaiting trial. They were Kavango, pleads for help and asks those whose cases were awaiting President's visit. that the contents be conununicated to before court on a given date, they vanish and have to be hunted down decisions from the ProllCCUtor-Gen the appropriate Cabinet minister or his deputy. by the police. eral ' s office, and those who had been wamed to appear before court sev The prisoners charge that some of In some cases, the prisoners were wamed on more than one occasion eral times in the past but failed to do RUMOURS ABOUT them have been in prison since 1989 but did not appe~ ·-before court as and have not been brought before told. continued on page 4 ; court yet. WALVIS DENIED According to the letter, many of. the prisoners awaiting trial have been BOTH the South African Interest Office and the Ministry of in jail for up to six months and some Foreign Affairs have denied that a South African hand-over of for up to 10 months. They complain that they have Walvis Bay to Namibia is imminent. families to take care of and that they The denials follow widespread de Klerlc's earlier statement that South cannot afford to rem.a!n in prison 88 Sierra 31 X R27500 speculation that South Africa plarmed Africa was quite prepared to discuss without being tried. 88 Sierra 21 GL R2A500 . When the prisoners approach the to renounce its claims to the harbour Namibian use of Walvis Bay with 88 Ford Laser I R21950 authorities with complaints about enclave in Jl.Ule as a gesture of goodwill. Namibia's new government. 86 Ford Bantam 1.3 R13750 Rumour had it that the big announce Sunde said as far as he knew there certain matters, they are told to ask 88 Sierra XR6 R30 500 ment would be made in the full glare were currently no negotiations tak President Sam Nujoma for help, the 89 Ford Sapphire 3GLX (Demo) of the foreign media during the inter ing place on the final transfer of letterwrit.ers say. R38 500 national donors conference for Walvis Bay to Namibia. Prison wardens do not attend to 88 Ford Courier 3LP R24250 Namibia whiCh is to take place in Deputy Minister of Foreign Af their problems, the prisoners say. 89 Ford 2,2 Diesel R242S0 New York. fairs Netumbo Nd;ritwah also said They add that they receive insuffi 88 VW {:I ta CSL R24950 The head of the South African she had not heard about a possible cient medical care and that, in some 86 Ford Escourt XR31 . R16900 Interest Office, John Sunde, how June hand-over of Walvis Bay. cases, they are not taken to hospital 86 Ford Sierra S/W R19250 ever, denied this and added he was She further said that so far, she was to see a doctor. 89 VW City Golf R17750 •• quite sure" there were no such not aware of any negotiations with The wardens also sometimes boast 89 Toyota Corrola 1,31 R21500 plans. ':'outh Africa over the disputed en that the new govemment and the 89 Opel Monza 1,3 R22500 He reiterated State President F W clave. Cabinet are powerless and will not help them, the letter says. Contact: Daan, • ~,,<~ The puhli<;. prosecutor for the Mossie or t rix The Namibian will not appear on Ascension Kavango; a Mr Adams, told The Tel. (061) 3702044:4" Na1Tlib~ yesterday that not all pris .' aay or Africa Day, and we will be on the oners were in jail for minor cases . Kaiser Strpet , .~ .. ~~ ~treets again on Monday, 28 May. ·, _ Most of those being held faced serious charges, such as murder or <2 -Wednesday May 231990 -THE-NAMIBIAN SW"ISS Dloney BERNE - South African President F.W. De Klerk arrived in Switzer land yesterday hoping to persuade Swiss bankers to provide fresh loans as his country abandons apartheid. Switzerland is the seventh stop on Aussie-Chinese puzzle De Klerk' s nine-country European tour that aims to garner political and SYDNEY· Australia is faced with either endangering one billion financial support for his vision of a dollars in trade with China or dealing with a public relations democracy with guaranteed rights disaster by deporting Chinese students who supported last year's for the white minority. He flew in from Bonn, where he pro"democrac~ demonstration. said he believed West Gemumy would start investing more in his country. Snow in the Cape Swiss bankers say they are not ready to make such promises. CAPE TOWN· The cold front which hit the Western Cape at the "Banks are holding back," a weekend left light snowfalls on the peaks of the Matroosberge at De spokeswoman for the Swiss Bankers Association said. Doorns. "They want to see how the situ Although more snow was expected on Monday night on the south· ation develqJs economiCally and above estern and southern mountain ranges, the weather was expected to all politically." get warmer should get warmer on Tuesday, the Weather Bureau De Klerk will meet Swiss Presi said. dent Arnold Koller, Foreign Minis ter Rene Felber and Economics Minister Jean-Pascal Delamuraz on Election sabotage Tuesday. He is expected to hold private BOGOTA· Colombian politicians denounced a suspected plan to meetings with financiers and indus sabotage Sunday's presidential elections after a senator allied with trialistS on Wednesday, when he is frontrunner Cesar Gaviria was murdered and members of President due to address the Swiss-South Afri IF it's Wednesday this must be Switzerland. South African State Virgilio Barco's family narrowly escaped a bomb. can Association in Zurich. President F.W. de Klerk checks his watch with Greek Premier He leaves tomorrow for Spain and Konstantine Mitsotakis last week before continuing his European High-speed arms chase Italy. tour north. LONDON· Police and anti·terrorist detectives seized an arms cache from a car in north London yesterday after a high. speed Kashmir death toll - anger mounts chase. Police detained two men after finding two AK·47 rifles, loaded and ready for use, police at the scene said, adding they had SRINAGAR, India· Thousands of people gathered in the Kashmir city of Srinagar yesterday and been "freshly dug up" from where they had been hidden. Indian officials braced for more trouble after at least 47 people were killed when security forces opened fire on a crowd of mourners. W.W.II claims 7 more The mourners were escorting the quarters of Farooq' s political organ demanded the Withdrawal of Indian body of a murdered Moslem cleric, isation.

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