Protesters want SADC headquarters relocated
RUNDU - Demonstrators at Rundu yesterday demanded that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana be relocated to a country “that values human life”.
They said this when they took to the streets to protest the alleged killing of three Namibian brothers and their cousin by the Botswana Defence Force on 5 November along the Chobe River.
The three brothers and their mother, who died the week after her sons, were buried at Kamabozu village at Impalila Island on Tuesday.
In their petition spokesperson of the group, Robert Ntesa, said the death of the five Namibians has caused great pain in their lives, hence they wanted to put forth a few requests to President Hage Geingob via Kavango East region governor, Bonifatius Wakudumo.
The group called for the immediate closure of the Botswana High Commission office in Namibia until the relationship between the two countries improves.
Ntesa said the incident has brought uneasiness particularly in the Zambezi and Kavango East regions where Namibians depend on the resources that are shared in the Chobe-Linyanti and Kavango rivers.
“We further call on President Geingob to immediately pause the dry port facilities for Botswana in Walvis Bay until we are recognised as human beings that deserve fair trial and justice,” Ntesa said.
They also demanded that the Namibian borders with Botswana be closed and a state of emergency declared concerning the territorial boundaries with Botswana until the situation is properly addressed.
“We further call on Government to urgently intervene to stop further killing of innocent residents by employing the Namibian Defence Force along borders while waiting for findings from the Namibia-Botswana joint investigation into the shootings of the Namibians,” the group said.
Receiving the petition, Wakudumo promised to pass it on to the Office of the President. -Nampa