Renthia Kaimbi
Human rights activist Phil ya Nangoloh says the term “war veteran” has no legal standing.
He criticises Namibia’s veteran policy, noting that it hides a gap in national law that leaves many former soldiers without recognition.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Ya Nangoloh said the Veterans Act (2 of 2008) only recognises veterans of the liberation struggle and does not make reference to so-called war veterans.
“So many former Swapo comrades and especially those who were in exile, call themselves ‘war veterans’. But little did they appear to know that there is no such thing as a “war veteran” in our Land of the Brave. None, whatsoever!” he wrote.
He said the term war veteran, if properly defined, should have a broader meaning in the Namibian context.
Ya Nangoloh called for new legislation to recognise a wider range of veterans in Namibia.
He said this should include soldiers who served the colonial administration during World War II, former members of the apartheid-era South West Africa Territorial Force and its police unit Koevoet, veterans of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia and all former and retired members of the Namibian Defence Force, regardless of combat experience.
“There is, indeed, an urgent need for our Parliament to pass a law caring for all Namibian military veterans,” he said.
He urged former soldiers to organise and push for legal reform.
“I am therefore calling upon all fellow former military or soldiers to unite in order to lobby Parliament to enact a law to provide for the establishment of a universal military veterans association and all matters incidental thereto catering for all military veterans in the Land of the Brave,” he added.
Ya Nangoloh said such an association should bring together former soldiers across political and military lines and provide a single platform for support.
“Such a law will have a multiplier effect for national reconciliation, peace and harmony, as well as national security,” he said.
