Internal Struggle for Namibia's Independence - 1985-1989

During the 1980's the battle for the hearts of the Namibian people was being fought. The PLAN combatants were waging war with their Angolan, Cuban and Russian allies, but this was taking place outside the borders of the country. Inside the country, the battle was in the form of protest and civil disobedience.




The internal struggle included famous Namibians such as Hendrik Witbooi, Danny Tjongarero, Niko Bessinger, Anton Lubowski, John Pandeni and Ben Ulenga. They were harassed, beaten and arrested continuously by the South African regime.

However, the regime felt it was winning. They had created ethnic authorities and many of these leaders had convinced the people of the need for managed democracy versus the communist take-over by SWAPO.

All that changed when the students started participating in the struggle. In 1987 the police were unable to control and prevent the students from running through Katutura and Khomasdal, with some of the marchers reaching the central business district. By mid 1988, the South African regime and their puppet government was losing control. Over 75 000 school students were boycotting schools throughout the country in protest at the South African army and police repressions. The boycotts began at the Ponhofi Secondary School in Ovamboland.

Laws such as the Protection of Fundamental Rights Act (No. 16 of 88) were being used to prevent the gathering of any kind. This specific law was contested by the Namibian National Students Organisation and others and was found to be unconstitutional. This legal battle is still used around the world when discussing human rights as it "creates criminal offences for activities which in democratic societies have been perfectly acceptable and legal."[i]

In legal literature, "The period of 1985 to Independence ... an historical prelude because it arguably sets the stage for the constitutional development that followed Independence."[ii]

Unfortunately, this internal struggle for Independence has largely been neglected. This publication is a first step in bringing this story into the common memory of all Namibians.


http://www.scribd.com/full/52317421?access_key=key-1su694cazh8mkmptl651
Photo album of photos from the 1987/8 student unrest in Namibia
Comments collected during the two weeks of 21 March - 1 April 2011 via Facebook.
All photographs courtesy of John Liebenberg.­­­­


[i] Namibia National Students' Organisation & Others v Speaker of the National Assembly for South West Africa 1990 (1) SA 617 SWA, at 627.

[ii] Constitutional jurisprudence in Namibia since Independence - George Coleman and Esi Schimming-Chase

Open Letter to Robin Sherbourne / Nedbank Namibia & Old Mutual Namibia - No. 2

This week I sent out an email about an email between myself and Messr. Sherbourne of Nedbank. I though I should just explain why I felt it to be a remark based on racial stereotyping.
_____________________________________________________


This week, once again it has been proved that we need to have a system that forces the white-owned financial institutions to make decisions that are not based on the race or gender of a person.


Mr Robin Sherbourne, Economist of Nedbank, replied to my email:
Please stop sending me emails. The IPPR is still trying to recover money you owe us from 2004. I can’t believe how duplicitous you have been yet you have the nerve to write about ethics and helping SMEs – unbelievable! You give BEE a bad name.


It is true that I have a default judgement against me for a business transaction I was involved in. (more on my blog at http://milton-louw.blogspot.com/2011/04/open-letter-to-robin-sherbourne-nedbank.html).


The fact of the matter is that in South Africa I am registered as a white male and do not qualify for black economic empowerment (where BEE is the law).


What could the statement "... you give black economic empowerment a bad name"? Putting that as a statement after referring to my bad debt must mean that my bad credit has something to do with his perception of my race.


This is exactly why I believe we need a credit register in Namibia that does not allow an individual to make credit decisions based on their own assumptions. 


Kind regards


Milton Louw
Debtor 

Namibia Home Affairs Application Forms

All Namibian and visitors know what a hassle it is to collect application from Home Affairs. Now a collection of these forms are available.

Just visit Milton Louw's Blog and all the forms can be downloaded from a list on the left.

Just another service to keep "Namibia -the smile on the face of Africa." 

Open Letter to Robin Sherbourne / Nedbank Namibia & Old Mutual Namibia

I am sitting in Germany struggling to establish a Credit Register System in Namibia. I have been working on this project for over 12 years in the hope that with such a system there would be more affordable credit for poor people and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME's) in my country.

With very little funding (and no salary), I have managed to get this idea on to the national agenda. All financial institutions and supervisory bodies understand the need for a credit register system to allow financial inclusion - access to banking services especially by the poor, black people of our country. To get this idea to the public I have been sending emails to individuals within government and the business sector since 1997.

This morning (6 April 2011) I sent a copy of a blog about the need for a Credit Register in India to the financial services community in Namibia.
"... one of the major complaints against micro-finance institutions (MFIs) is the widespread trend of multiple borrowings by poor people. Though unaware of the credit histories of their borrowers, MFI lenders were carried away by the belief in their ability to recover loans and gave loans without proper due diligence. The result was poor people saddled with multiple loans from different MFIs, with atleast some of them being merely used to reschedule or repay older loans. "

Great was my surprise when I received the following email from Robin Sherbourne, Group Economist, Old Mutual Namibia (email address: RobinSh@Nedbank.com.na).

Please stop sending me emails. The IPPR is still trying to recover money you owe us from 2004. I can’t believe how duplicitous you have been yet you have the nerve to write about ethics and helping SMEs – unbelievable! You give BEE a bad name.

Robin

Robin Sherbourne

Group Economist

Old Mutual Namibia

+264 (0) 61 227950 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            +264 (0) 61 227950      end_of_the_skype_highlighting (telephone)

+264 (0) 61 259701 (fax)

+264 (0)081 129 2502 (mobile)

RobinSh@Nedbank.com.na (E-mail)

www.oldmutual.com.na

* duplicitous - marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another




I have previously written about my bad debts in my book, Future Namibia, as well as numerous times on my blog, so will not bore you with it here. (See end note later)

My immediate reaction was one of anger. After all, I am fighting to get a Credit Register established to assist the consumers of my country without any return on that investment after twelve years. Then I carefully reread his email. I don't mind the personal words. "Sticks and stones, Will break my bones, But names will never hurt me."

BUT I do mind the sentence, you give Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) a bad name. Wow racism has become very sophisticated in Namibia. Do you mean to tell me that because I am not white, and have a default judgement, you, Nedbank Namibia and Old Mutual are no longer interested in the "public good"¹?

No Mr. Sherbourne, you clearly indicate a lack of understanding of what it is to be financially previously disadvantaged or why the banking services need to be forced to bank the unbanked.

____________________________________________________________________
1. public good in reference: ....private banks may not find it worthwhile to incur the high costs of screening
and monitoring SMEs because, once these borrowers have a good credit history, they can
obtain credit from other lenders, who will not have to bear the initial costs for screening.
This suggests that information on creditworthiness is basically a public good, in the sense
that it is non-rival in consumption and it is very costly to exclude anyone from using it.
When the market fails to let banks appropriate the returns of information about their costumers,
banks will under-invest in the acquisition of such information.


Endnote:
Yes, I have a default judgement in favour IPPR (a private research organisation). I don't often get paid for what I do, but when I do, I have been paying this debt. However, the IPPR and their lawyers have made it a habit of harassing me whenever I get employment by delivering a summons. Then of course, I leave that office of employment and we do the merry dance again.


The IPPR has made it clear that the data I collect is free (to them) and part of publicly available data. Okay, so I continue to provide it free of charge and make no money with which to pay them. Call this lack of charging income because of the outstanding judgement my equivalent of a "Namibian stand-off".


Full blog here: http://milton-louw.blogspot.com/2009/04/me-and-bad-debts.html

Google Science Fair: Calling All Jr. Scientists

Google is looking for bright youngsters (aged 13 - 18) from around the world to submit interesting and creative Science projects that are relevant to the world today.

It would be fantastic to see a Namibian student emerging as one of the 15 finalists who each get

• a $25 000 scholarship,
• An internship (at CERN, Google or Scientific American)
• personalized Lego kits
• Digital Access to Scientific American for their school

If I was still in high-school, I'd be scheming to win this thing.

For more information, check out the Google Science Fair website.