BWS
Breaking the Wall of Silence Movement
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BWS is a movement of concerned Namibians who endeavour by PEACEFUL means to find an lasting solution for the problem of human violations committed and to work towards a truly democratic culture"
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Background

The BWS was established by former detainees, relatives and concerned Namibians in February 1996, after previous sporadic attempts made by groups and individuals failed to yield a consistent impact in addressing the plight of the ex-detainees after Namibia's independence in 1990.
The BWS was formed to resume, pursue and drive to its final resolution, the unanswered gross human rights violations committed by the SWAPO Liberation Movement against its own innocent cadres in especially Lubango, Angola and Zambia, while in exile (1960 - 1989).
Tramped-up charges of spying were levelled against targeted cadres and selected members of the leadership corps. These loyal cadres and party officials were mainly targeted for arrest, torture, killing and detention on grounds and criteria that range from tribal, ethnic, strata, class and origin.
An estimated 2000 innocent cadres , all members of SWAPO and most active soldiers of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), are still listed as 'missing' without any account made of their whereabouts by the now ruling SWAPO Party.
The impact of the atrocities is so high that it has caused endless suspicion, disunity, distrust, and hatred along the lines of ethnicity, tribes, and social class and/or strata. This state of affairs has also brought social division and segregation. It manifests itself in areas of freedom, democracy and of wealth distribution in an independent Namibia.
The concern of the BWS is in that the continued tension in the country is likely to lead to ethnic strife and civil disturbances with fatal consequences in the not too distant future.

Objectives
The BWS has, as its main aim, to unite the people of Namibia through genuine national reconciliation. In its task towards the set objective of national reconciliation, the BWS has attained remarkable success in its work since 1996.
Some major engagements in its growth:
• Exposure of the mystery surrounding the truth about the arrests, torture, killing & detention of innocent Namibians in exile by SWAPO. Thereby opening a lasting public debate. (1996 -1997)
• Established and operates an office in Windhoek with a full-time national co-ordinator and functions with an organised leadership and management structure.
• Convinced the Council of Churches in Namibia and many leaders in SWAPO and other civil and NGO sectors, to pay attention to the calls of the ex-detainees through BWS.
• Secured lasting partnership with donors and support groups at national, regional, continental and international levels.
• Gained credibility and respect in terms of principles from many corners of the country and abroad.
• Participates in various forums locally and abroad.
• Has started the production project of multimedia documentary testimonies and evidence of the plight of the ex-detainees.
Membership and support
BWS has broad membership, supporters and sympathisers. Its membership categories range from direct victims of the 'Lubango onslaught' i.e., 169 survivors of the dungeons, parents, children, relatives and friends of the ex-detainees and the missing people and concerned Namibians.

Support sources
BWS is supported financially and materially by mostly church communities in Germany, and very few friendly organisations and groups from across the globe. It therefore operates on a very small budget ever since its creation in 1996.

Modus Operandi
The highest organ of the BWS is the Annual General Meeting. BWS is managed by a Management Committee (MC) consisting of seven members. Unless urgent matters arise, the MC meets four times a year. All members of the MC, including its Chairperson are volunteers. The only full-time office bearer is the National Co-ordinator: Finance and Admin. who co-ordinates all day-to-day affairs of the BWS.

National Reconciliation and BWS
National reconciliation is an imminent forerunner of unity, peace, stability and democracy. BWS believes in the following pre-requisites for national reconciliation:
1. Truth and honesty about events/causes leading to the conflict
2. Admission and confession of wrong-doing on the part of the perpetrator and to show remorse.
3. Apology
4. Acceptance of apology on the part of the victim.

Exposure of the dark and hidden/concealed atrocities lead to the revelation of truth. This is usually accompanied by embarrassment and shame. In SWAPO's situation, the exposure of hidden atrocities led to shame and silence. Discreet admissions have surfaced, e.g. "it was an unfortunate thing" or "blame it on the war" or "some mistakes were made". BWS wants to see an open admission for the atrocities have affected the peace within the whole nation.
Admission and confession of wrong-doing is normally followed by an apology.
On behalf of the victims, the BWS has declared that "we have the hearts to accept apology."
It is only then that conflict resolution can begin to take root towards a national reconciliation programme.

Contacts:

BWS: Head Office: NANGOF HQ, Katutura, Windhoek
P.O. Box 40507
Ausspannplatz
Windhoek Namibia

MC members (2004 - 06):
The following MC members were elected on 1 November 2003, to serve for a period of three years.
• Reinhard K. Gertze: Chairperson
• Ms Maria Geingos: Member
• Dr Erastus Shamena: Member
• Ms Maria Lawrence de Conceiçao: Member
• Ms Pauline Buchani: Member
• Mr Jimmy Amupala: Member
• Mr Sheeli Shangula: Member
Pauline Dempers: National Co-ordinator (ex officio)

Tel: 264 61 256227
Fax: 264 61 256227
Email: [email protected]
For further information:
Contact person: Pauline Dempers

"Silence is haunting when you begin to hear it"

What it takes to reconcile

Biblical, political and possibly most humanly acceptable forms of reconciliation have been explored over the past couple of years after independence. The purpose of the continuous debate should be seen as a necessary step in moulding a spirit of understanding and of tolerance.

In my opinion, reconciliation is a natural process. It is interesting how forces of nature enter into harsh conflicts from time to time. Think of the storms, the cyclones. One would wonder why there should be so much 'anger'. Does reconciliation necessarily follow immediately after disaster?

In an attempt to answer the above question, one must come to terms with the fact that serious breakdown of harmony, disorientation, and devastation prevails after disaster.

In Namibia, no exception should be made as for a similar breakdown that still prevails. We are all trying to understand why and how we did the ugly things to one another. Some try instead, to become oblivious of what happened to them and what they did to others. Some try to make it up to others and /or themselves with material goods, money, business, etc.

Wounds don't just heal when they are invisible i.e., when not on flesh, but they live when inside our souls, spirit and emotions. Physical scars do not disappear either. They remain an eternal reminder of pain.

Our lives are a constant struggle for survival. In a struggle for survival forces work by conflict. So, conflicts seem natural for progress but they must be understood positively as in the famous theory of the "unity of opposites". Conflicts become a danger to all living when they become hostile.

Only nature is most of the time unable to timely prevent hostility and subsequent disaster. Although it sometimes warns of imminent danger, there is not much we can do. Nature has an invincible cycle which balances and reconciles its own existence. Disasters strike when imbalances become unbearable to common life.

Humans are, on the contrary, capable of detecting most of its own misfortunes. Humans can read the signs of danger to all living. This is the distinct nature of the human specie. Insincerity and pretence are aspects amongst other distinct qualities of the human that can be fatal to his own survival. Negligence and ignorance are other misfortunes that may live in the human.
The horrors of 2nd World War and the recent tragedies in Sudan, Rwanda & Burundi are legible signs that serve as early warnings.

Unresolved conflicts do not die, they only sleep and when they wake, they are fatally refreshed. With all these, reconciliation is a process that needs moulding, but not for too long. Reconciliation is a matter of finding a truce that allows continuous human existence by incessant conflicting, progressive harmony. Namibians must realise what ugly and painstaking things have happened amongst them. Reconciliation must be a domestic exercise. Our enemies have long left after fulfilling their tasks. We, by pretence, share the sunlight of Namibia. If only we could share the rest.

Reinhard Kala Gertze
Ex-SWAPO detainee
Chairperson: BWS

Political Rights, Reconciliation and Tolerance

A statement by the Breaking the Wall of Silence Movement (BWS)

This statement is written by R. Gertze, Chairperson: BWS

The broader spectrum of "Politics" must be seen in the light of diverse implications of that word. Political rights must therefore be seen as rights within a political set-up.
Politics makes reference to the art of government and art of exercising one's power over others and the organisation of society.

Political rights are rights that allow us to participate and influence all political processes, which range from socio-economic and cultural activities of a society. Political rights seemingly allow for the acquisition and maintenance of political power by one entity over another.
Once political rights are allowed in a country and provided that citizens exercise these rights, democracy can be said to have been established. Political rights are a prime requirement for democracy and are a forerunner to all other rights of the citizens of a country.

Political rights entail various concepts such as human rights, economic rights, democracy, good governance, socio-cultural rights, the right to election, the right to free association, etc.
It will therefore be interesting to see how much political rights we enjoy in Namibia in the context of the above assertion. In the end political rights allude to democracy.

In Namibia, the essence of political rights lie in and depend on a certain key factors.

• Freedom: This guarantees the practice of political rights. Freedom refers to a situation of non-dependence on the one hand and a situation of not being in captivity or being kept hostage.

• Democracy: This guarantees mutual respect and peaceful co-existence and co-operation amongst the different political formations and entities of society.

It is in the above two key factors that a recurrence of conflict, tolerance and conflict resolution takes place on the continuum.

One can therefore safely line up political rights with, conflict, tolerance and reconciliation.

Namibia and the type of freedom and democracy it practices is characterised by an absence of tolerance, a lack of independent thinking, and dominance and imposition of a one-party type of rule.
The overwhelming and dominating nature of the ruling SWAPO party, in terms of political power, has made it to effectively undermine and ignore the freedom and democratic aspirations of those Namibians who do not subscribe or affiliate to their philosophy. Intolerance towards differing opinions, with regard to many issues, has surfaced, in for example, the differentiation between loyal and disloyal 'comrades' within a broader comradeship. In the overall concept of political rights a great deal of rationing of such rights becomes apparent on a degrading scale from the most loyal to the least loyal.

Political power, as a matter of right, is a shallow issue in Namibian politics, which not every Namibian political entity is set to enjoy. Political power, which is heavily vested in SWAPO, is denied other minority political formations of which the ex-detainees are one such entity. That overwhelming political power becomes a sole political right for SWAPO. This leads to situations where the SWAPO government has decided to ignore, undermine and deny the ex-detainees an answer on why they became the innocent victims of the Lubango onslaught.

Asking such questions have now led to the marginalisation and isolation of the ex-detainees and all those who identify with them. It has also become clear that the so-called ‘disloyal comrades’ in SWAPO identify with the plight of the ex-detainee, because being disloyal means being a traitor. Such blind allegations against loyal Namibian patriots amounts to a smear campaign aimed at eliminating those who become critical of SWAPO’s policies and practices.

The above tendency tempers with the political rights of such people who in turn are denied equal opportunity and access to other rights that stem from these prime rights vested in politics.

The Lubango case is a test ground for the SWAPO government to show that it has the political will to restore political rights by engaging in process of national reconciliation. It is only through genuine national reconciliation that the continued burden of silencing, marginalizing, and ignoring the BWS call for dialogue, that SWAPO could look every other political opinion in the eyes and to freely say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to different political opinions by merit. The hurt of the ex-detainees cuts deep into the Namibian communities. The deeds of the SWAPO security clique in Lubango, Angola, were therefore not only aimed at the approximately 2000 victims of atrocities.

And by dealing with the ex-detainee question appropriately, SWAPO would deal with Namibians along denominations that stretch across the country. Reconciliation is a prerequisite to peace and stability in Namibia. It is only then that we can talk of freedom and democracy and that we can deal with each other with understanding and ultimately live together alongside one another with a maximum bracket of tolerance.

It is unthinkable to allow tension to flourish in silence, only for it to erupt with very violent consequences in a generation that would not have the slightest idea of what the causes of such eruptions would be.

The denial of political rights could thus have serious implications on democracy and the denial of wrong doing by suppressing the outcry of the victims by intolerance results in building a volcanic can of worms.

We call upon the willing and considerate leaders and the broader SWAPO membership to hear the call by the BWS, for we only have peace to win by starting a tolerant process of national reconciliation with a tolerant dialogue.

Politics and Human Rights in Namibia
08 FEBRUARY 04
CAPE TOWN
GOEDGEDACHT FARM
SACPN

Namibians feel at ease that the President declined for the fourth term. This is not officially announced to the nation but we pick up through interviews with international journalists. Another positive development is that at long last the Caprivi detainees trail resumed, though postponed to this year.

A worrisome development is underway in the country. Democracy as fragile as it is is under thread. Namibia and the type of freedom and democracy are characterized by an absence of tolerance, lack of independent thinking, and dominance and imposition of a one-party type of rule.

The overwhelming and dominating nature of the ruling SWAPO party, in terms of political power, has made it to effectively undermine and ignore the freedom and democratic aspirations of those Namibians who do not subscribe or affiliate to their philosophy. Intolerance towards differing opinions, with regard to many issues, has surfaced, in for example, the differentiation between loyal and disloyal 'comrades' within a broader comradeship. In the overall concept of political rights a great deal of rationing of such rights becomes apparent on a degrading scale from the most loyal to the least loyal.

It is unthinkable to allow tension to flourish in silence, only for it to erupt with very violent consequences in a generation that would not have the slightest idea of what the causes of such eruptions would be.

The denial of political rights could thus have serious implications on democracy and the denial of wrong doing by suppressing the outcry of the victims by intolerance, results in building a volcanic can of worms.

Civil Society in Namibia

The Namibia Non-Governmental Organization Forum (NANGOF) has gone through stages in its life history. The secretariat has shrink from more than ten staff to only one permanent staff with National Executive Committee. This is caused by the demand from the funding agents, which brought confusion in the role NANGOF as an umbrella body was suppose to play.

The crisis that brought the umbrella body in conflict with its member organizations has created an opportunity for NANGOF to define its role as an umbrella body. Some overlapping roles were identified during he process of transformation. The umbrella body with the secretariat and NEC now serve as the facilitator and coordinator to best assist the member organizations to implement their planned activities and activities determined by the trend and the need of the country and their area of operation.

Despite the deep dive and turbulences, NANGOF has its strides and milestones in the Namibian Society as well as outside the Namibian border (today’s event is a proof of it). NANGOF through its links and networks within the region, continent, in the world has open up opportunities for the member organizations, with the aim to build their capacity as well as to learn from other relevant organizations. NANGOF has developed Membership Policy and Code of Ethics for the members to operate in.

The member organizations are clustered according to their activities and are divided in Sectors i.e.
• HIV/AIDS Sectoral working committee coordinated by NANASO and NAPPA
• Training and Capacity Building, coordinated by !NARA
• Human Rights and Democracy Sector, coordinated by TRP
• Natural Resource & environment, coordinated by Desert Research Foundation
• Policy Advocacy & Legal Framework, coordinated by FFF
• Socio Economic Justice Coordinated by Namibia Farmers union
• Rural & Urban Development, coordinated by Namibia Rural Development Project
• Gender, coordinated by Sister Namibia

NANGOF has a worked in mechanism to monitor and to evaluate the sectoral activities, through quarterly meetings and reports from different sectors on joint activities, Directors Forum for reviewing and planning.

NANGOF is in the process of developing a partnership with the government offices for effective implementation of programmes designed for national development. Just recently the National Planning Commission came up with a GRN/CSO Policy claiming it to be for effective partnership. The Policy is in final draft stage.

NANGOF’s take on this policy is, that we would like to advance the current working relationship to a sound, realistic partnership, not for the sake of convenience or circumstantial and short lifted partnership. But a partnership that would benefit both partners without compromising their values or principles and roles, also without compromising the independence and ownership and the identity of the sector.

Challenges ahead are the persistent reluctance of the ruling party to address the SWAPO ex-detainee issue, The Caprivi ex-detainee issue, unemployment; poverty, land and demonstrated intolerance and suppressive government may lead to conflict in our country.