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“Namibians in Dukwi need integration-Nkurumah Mushelenga” RESPONSE FROM CAPRIVIANS IN BOTSWANA- DUKW
February 28, 2019
“Namibians in Dukwi need integration-Nkurumah Mushelenga”
RESPONSE FROM CAPRIVIANS IN BOTSWANA- DUKWI

Responding to the article that appeared in the New Era News Paper for Namibia of the 13 February 2019, in which the Retired Commissioner for Refugee in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration Nkrumah Mushelenga , calls for integration of Caprivians into Botswana if they don’t want to return home, is received with amazement.

The retired Commissioner is not ignorant of the fact that Caprivians in Botswana since 1999 have been calling for peaceful settlement of the disputed Territory of the Caprivi Strip and in his capacity by then as Commissioner, set in many meetings with US where we Caprivians addressed his Government through him on the reasons why we are in exile.

It is not for Namibia to ask local integration for us, Mushelenga must know this, we now understand that is why he failed to tell his Government all the peaceful suggestions we gave in order to resolve the Caprivi Political issue.

It is high time now that the Namibian Government should end their hypocrisy and confront the Caprivi issue without fear. The evidence is so huge that clearly shows that Caprivi is illegally occupied by Namibia and the right thing for the normal people must be done. It is the system of the imperialist that the SWAPO struggle was fighting against which now is similarly cherished by the same accusers, that is hypocrisy. Namibia should not forget that the same pain they felt and undergone during the struggle for SWA/Namibia is the same that they are imposing on us deliberately. What makes it even worse is that we fought together to liberate South West Africa and Caprivi through an agreement Merger of the 5th November 1964.

What the Namibian Government did was irregular and dishonesty, instead of calling for a referendum as the only tool that was necessary to honor the merger agreement; they annexed Caprivi through the Act of Parliament in 1999. This was, and is illogical because that was indeed the time to address the matter. After missing that political gigantic step, they then prepared to silence all Caprivians, imprison intimidate, torture and kill all Caprivians who speak about Caprivi issue.

The Caprivi issue is thought to be crashed simply through brutal force just like the apartheid era, a system that they used to angrily oppose. There is fear from the Government side that makes them determined to continue oppressing the Caprivian people.

This is why Nkrumah Mushelenga is coming up with the advice to his Government to ask Botswana to force us to stay and become Citizen in Botswana through local integration. So that those in prison will save the imposed charge of criminal as they are doing through their corrupt system of judiciary control.
The aim of the Namibian Government is to oppress and silence Caprivians for the rest of their lives, something that is inhuman and impossible under the earth. Namibia is spending millions in the Caprivi Strip just to make sure that the Caprivi issue is suppressed, it is one contributor to the junky economy experienced in the Country and now failing to pay all innocent victims of torture in the work to suppress and tyrannize the Caprivians.

Namibia wants to appear clean and stand out to advocate for Self determination of Western Sahara from Morocco. It is clear that Morocco considers Western Sahara as integral part of Morocco due to their reasons. Namibia stands to campaign against Morocco to free all political prisoners, and to allow the Saharawi people to govern themselves without interference.

Namibia was supposed to be ashamed of their advocacy and keep silent so that at least those who are democratic and not having similar situation to go ahead with the campaign. It is an open sin of selective morality and hypocrisy at its worst.

Caprivians in Botswana have no thought yet to ask for local integration in Botswana; we don’t foresee it in future because doing that we will be committing political suicide. And it will be a betrayal to more than four hundred heads we have laid down in Dukwi in Botswana who were aspiring for total freedom of the Caprivi Strip; it will also be a betrayal to those who are in the Namibian prison and those who were poisoned and died there, it will also be a betrayal to the intimidated and silenced Caprivians in the Caprivi Strip today who desires to see Caprivi being free from oppression.

It must be wisdom for any SWAPO member to think that such a suggestion of integration if was imposed by the Zambian, Tanzanian or Angolan Government during the freedom struggle for SWAPO, could they appreciate that? We know the relationship between Namibia and Botswana, we are aware that in many cases they both disregard about their own laws and international laws they are signatory too, when it comes to us Caprivians; but It remains cumbersome for them to force with local integration against our will.

Mr. Nkrumah Mushelenga, advice properly your government, there should be no fear, no hypocrisy, no anger, no selective morality and pretence. No reason to hide behind Mr. Mishake Muyongo to have done what? that is why we cannot do what? . The thing is that Caprivians should feel free not to live with at gun point throughout their lives.

Mushelenga should not boast that during his tenure as the Refugee Commissioner things were perfect; it was during his time when many Caprivians were repatriated and ended up in prisons up to today, others died, others ran back to Botswana while others were deported forcefully to Namibia and they are in prisons. If he was a good Man he should have advised his Government to find a durable solution to the Caprivi political issue once and for all.

We want to return home peacefully and with dignity, not to become Citizen of Botswana. We do appreciate for what Botswana did, to keep us until now; we blame Namibia for the bad treatment Botswana is giving us.

Namibia must not be afraid to seat and talk with Mr. Muyongo, the late Nelson Mandela said “talk to your enemy for the sake of peace”

Those who are peaceful, let them join us in seeking peaceful solutions to end the Caprivi political subjugation and marginalization.

Forward Ever Backward Never

Felix Kakula
On behalf of all Caprivians in Exile









Source: United Democratic Party (UDP)


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