By Risco Lumamezi
A long trial of treason, which has been described as the longest trial in Namibia was by a surprise on September 14, when the High Court Authority under Judge Elton Hoff of the Caprivi High treason case brought down the charges of the innocent trial awaiting prisoners and found guilty to 30 accused convicts.
Judge Hoff indicated last month during his judgement on the long trial of the Caprivi High Treason that the north-eastern region (Caprivi Strip) has always been part of Namibia since 1890, though it has separate administration at different times in its history.
The accused 30 convicted men are facing nine charges of murder, one count of high treason, 278 charges and 240 counts of attempted murder in connection with the failed secession attempts.
A human rights activist and Executive Director of NamRights Mr.Phil ya Nangoloh told the court in October that all atrocities committed by the accused Caprivi separatists are justifiable under international law.
Mr Ya Nangoloh stressed, all the 30 Caprivian men who are convicted of treason had acted in “self-defence” He also quoted the “Castle Doctrine”, which according to him allows a man to defend his home from intruders. In his view the “Caprivians merely defended their homeland from what they perceived as an unlawful invasion.”
Twenty-two Caprivi trial awaiting prisoners have died in Grootfontein and Windhoek prisons between 2003 – 2015.
However, Caprivi Vision editor, Risco Lumamezi in an exclusive telephonic interview with the Caprivi leader Mr. Mishake Muyongo president of the United Democratic Party (UDP) a political movement seeking for the right for self determination of the Caprivi Strip ( Now renamed as Zambezi region) recently confirmed from his exiled home in Copenhagen the capital of Denmark in Europe, Mr. Muyongo (now 75 years- old ) who left the country at the age of 58 in1998 is hoping that the freedom of the people of Caprivi can only be realised if all people stand united including the animals and trees of the Caprivi Strip when are jointly together as liberators.
When quizzed for comment whether he was satisfied on how the Namibian courts are handling the Caprivi case of high treason , on the recent outcome of the Caprivi trial of treason which amongst others 35 were found not guilty and 30 men were found guilty by the High Court of Namibia last month.
Mr. Mishake Muyongo: Firstly let me put it this way; there are no courts in the so called South West Africa Namibia. Those are just SWAPO judiciary branches, do you understand me those are not really courts. Those are SWAPO judiciary courts , SWAPO branch courts so to speak because they don’t decide on a case on the basis of law they decide on a case on basis of people who are from a political executive so I don’t recognize them as courts so far as far as am concerned they are just Kangaroo courts.
CVNEWS: Why are you saying that?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo: Because they are only there to try and victimise the Caprivians, the issue of the Caprivi is not a court case is a political case that is supposed to be solved politically. Namibia has occupied the Caprivi illegally, Caprivi has never been and will never be part of Namibia, read any history book Caprivi has never been, we don’t even have a historical link with South West Africa nothing, the Germans never colonised us. We were colonised by the British thereafter the South Africans no German, did you see any building built by the Germans in the Caprivi? Nothing.
The fact is that the Caprivi was the gentleman’s agreement between the British and the German because Germany after getting South West Africa they thought that they could get access to the Indian ocean via the Zambezi, they asked the British to get the corridor via the Caprivi that’s how the Germans came on the picture as far as Caprivi is concerned, but when the Germans discovered that there was Victoria falls then their vision of trying to create a corridor from South West to the Indian ocean so that they could get to Tanganyika fall fly, they stopped it , the German said no we can’t continue with this process because there is hard way on the way the Victoria falls, so the Caprivi was never part of Germany South West Africa.
CVNEWS: Dukwi Refugees are to be repatriated forcibly on December 31, from Botswana what can you say about this?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo:There is no international law anywhere in the world even by the United Nations, that allows a country after accepting people as refugees in their own country that you can send them back by force where the is danger for their life, there is no law like that.
I want to believe its not too late for Botswana to think twice to allow to force those Caprivians that are in Dukwi at the moment back to the Caprivi where the Caprivi today is like a concentration camp run by the SWAPO thugs , I am told that
there are lot of military soldiers all over now I mean it was even recent let’s be honest about this thing, I think last month also when they sent people from Dukwi in the company of officials from the Botswana authority and human rights authorities in Botswana including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees representative ,
they went to the Caprivi to go see and tell, what happened? they were about to be arrested, they were about to be killed and they were about to be shot, the army people approached them and then they were deported back to Botswana , now after deporting them back to Botswana ,now you want to force them back to the Caprivi so they can be
killed. Does Botswana really want to help our people for their death ? I don’t think so Botswana has been a haven for peace and democracy; they have received a lot of people running away from wars and political persecution.
They can’t change now, somebody, somewhere is trying to tarnish the name of Botswana by getting involved in this type of arrangement the UN cannot. The UN is there to protect people who are running away from political persecution and from war and the Caprivians in Dukwi are in that category, they have ran away from political persecution in the Caprivi, that is illegally occupied now by SWAPO.
CVNEWS: What is your opinion to the name change and new boundaries of the Caprivi which was imposed by the Namibian government in August 2013?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo: You know let me be very honesty. The Caprivi name can only be changed by the Caprivians, no
stroke of a pen from an illegal government can change the name of the Caprivi, and it’s only the Caprivians through a referendum. If anybody somewhere there in Namibia has sense or has any common sense he should say to themselves. You don’t change the name of the country by a stroke of pen, you have the referendum you ask people and the Namibians can’t ask the Caprivians because there are not the right people to do it, only the Caprivians can do it themselves the Namibians are illegally in the Caprivi, Caprivi is not part of Namibia has never been part of Namibia and will never be part of Namibia even if by means of force it will never be part of Namibia, shall be free.
CVNEWS: How do you know the boundaries?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo: I know the boundaries of the Caprivi, I am a born Caprivian, and I was raised and grew up there, my parents’ set-up the boundaries of the Caprivi. Imataa my great grandfather set up the boundaries of the Caprivi he helped even people including Botswana to liberate part of their land he set up the boundaries and my own father walked the strip from Andara, my own father walked the strip, when the Portuguese aeroplane was flying on top demarcating the boundaries. I tell you the truth and my own father Simion Muyongo he walked demarcating all the boundaries, with the Portuguese aeroplane on top seeing that the are walking in the right longitude, right latitude and the right degree my own father he marked those boundaries from Andara accompanied by people from Western Caprivi so I know the boundaries of the Caprivi from Andara it runs straight into the main channel of the Linyanti river, our boundary is when you cross the Kavango river that’s where you find the boundary you go straight to what is called Namibia , Andara straight there. Please let me be honest about it we have boundaries with Botswana , Zambia and what is called Namibia today and we have boundaries with Angola those are boundaries that makes up the Caprivi, Linyanti river changed the name when it comes to Zambezi there they call it Chobe.
CVNEWS: How far is the independence of the Caprivi?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo: You don’t give time limit to the struggle for freedom, how long did the South Africans take for them to be free?, how long did it take? It took them century we are not going to take centuries.
The time table is there it has to be marked by us the people of the Caprivi if we unite all of us at home and those who are in exile and do one thing fight for our freedom, we shall be free very soon.
CVNEWS: What can you say to those people who say it is taking too long and many people are even dying without seeing the fruits of the independence?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo: How many people died in South Africa before they got independent? Even the so called Namibia
today , how many people died before they got independence, to fight for freedom, you know when you fight for something good you must try to think in biblical terms, they say- do you read the bible ?, it say the road to hell is wide open it has no thorns, but the road to heaven is full of thorns and setbacks and ours the road to paradise of the Caprivi,
so it is going to be full of difficulties but we have to have the determination and will to overcome all those difficulties including people on the way people will die. Those problems we must be able to overcome and continue with the struggle. People should not put time table to you, but what we should put time table to is that we must be all united
as Caprivians where ever we are and do one thing free ourselves from those political thugs of SWAPO that are now in the Caprivi illegally, they have no mandate to be in the Caprivi not at all.
CVNEWS: The current Namibian president Hage Geingob told residents of Katima, in August this year that you were the drafter of the Namibian Constitution which states that Namibia is a Unitary State, therefore he does not see the need to talk about the Caprivi as a separate nation, what can you say about this?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo: Caprivi is not Namibia, Caprivi has never been Namibia and I want to say to him. Let him just produce it, you know how to read yourself, you are a journalist take the Namibian Constitution and read it and then come back to me tell me that there is a reference of the Caprivi, there is no reference to the Caprivi they couldn’t do that because it is not part of South West Africa and it is not part of South West even today so it couldn’t be part of their
constitution, they were writing the constitution for their own independence. Let me just tell you by the way you know
I helped SWAPO in my life I worked with them, firstly I helped them to have a party constitution they didn’t have a
constitution, ask them if they are honest they will tell you, I helped them to solve their rebellion when Shipanga and
group turned against them all those people Sam Nujoma, Lucas Pohamba, God knows all of them they ran away from
Lusaka I tell you during night they were escaping like rats running away during night going to Tanzania. I stayed in Lusaka and solved the problem for them that is why today they have SWAPO. Many of them including this other guy whom they call Gurirub you know he was the lieutenant of Shipanga that one he was part of Shipanga rebellion although he was in New York he was part of it. I used to talk to Shipanga myself, I talked to Shipanga I solved the problem for SWAPO, I put down the rebellion, SWAPO survived because of me, SWAPO survived…
CVNEWS: Former president Sam Nujoma in 1999 went on the public TV saying that there was a rebellion which
was organized by you in mobilizing other Caprivians , so what happened during that time ?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo:Let me be just honest what rebellion did I organised?, I organized Caprivians to come
to SWAPO and work together, there is no rebellion I organized. Sam Nujoma I am not sure that he knows what
happened to things that took place he was the first person to run away from Lusaka. He called me from Cairo I was
with senior comrades after running away during night he couldn’t even tell me that he was running away from
rebellion he sneaked out during night he is a very coward. I solved the problems for him I always organise Caprivians
the time I was in exile with them because I knew we had made an agreement to work together, not to become
members of SWAPO but to work together with SWAPO. I used to tell those Caprivians we are in the struggle to liberate
South West Africa and Caprivi, mark my word these are hard to tell, every time I used to remind Caprivians that
Caprivi is a separate country but we organised and fight together with these SWAPO people because we were under
the same racist regime of South West Africa that was there that time , so I never organised any rebellion, why should
I rebel against him I was not a member of SWAPO I was just working with SWAPO.
CVNEWS: Former President Pohamba said he knew you, as you liked saying that you are a Caprivian is it true?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo :Oh he (Pohamba) knew that I always liked saying that I am a Caprivian, yes I am Caprivian
I always be a Caprivian. He knew that Pohamba tried to print cards of SWAPO and said we must sell them to the Caprivians who used to live in Zambia, I said to him my friend no those Caprivians if they are CANU members they are CANU members we just made an agreement to work together not that they become members of SWAPO.I never had even today a SWAPO card no it was membership by association my friend so it’s true he knows that I am a Caprivian and I will die Caprivian.
CVNEWS: Mr.Muyongo , People here at home they still want to know more on the issue of the merger because if you read Sam Nujoma’s autobiography book is talking about the merger agreement, in our last interview again you also even told us that you are having the document which state that you signed the agreement.
Mr.Mishake Muyongo: I have the document here, I mean why the SWAPO people are hiding it? Why can’t they produce it? I have Sam Nujoma book here he is saying yes there was a merger signed. Now they have taken that book away from schools.
CVNEWS: There is still another issue now, we have on record last time the former Namibian president Hifikepunye Pohamba , said of something that the document (merger agreement) they were having was burnt at their offi ces in Lusaka / Zambia and it was also doctored, what can you say on this issue?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo: Can you hear the contradiction yourself there, can you see the contradiction fi rst it was burnt then doctored which one now? Which document was doctored and then burnt? You can see that the person is speaking like as if he has two tongues. He must be honest I have the document here who ever doctored the document it must be them who doctored it. I have a document; I have a copy I will produce a copy one of these days. I will produce a copy I have it here it has a signature of Sam Nujoma and Muyongo.
CVNEWS: How old were you by that time?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo: 24 years old.
How old was your partner?
Muyongo : Who ?
CVNEWS : Sam Nuyoma , how old was he ?
Muyongo : Ask him I don’t even know if he knows when he was born I don’t know how old he was, ask him.
CVNEWS: Your final message to the people here, the Caprivians at large and Namibia as well?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo: You know I want to appeal to all Caprivians where ever they are in exile and at home please let’s remain united. Let’s be strong for the purpose of liberating ourselves. If we weaken, if we allow the enemy the regime of Namibia to go in between us and create stories, is going to make our struggle long. If we remain united and work together we are going to cross and going to get our canoe to get on the shores of the Zambezi in shortest possible time. And I want to say we still have people in prison, we still have people who are been tried for no reason other than for being Caprivians, they committed no crime. If those people I call them freedom fighters fighting for the freedom of Caprivi are being accused today by a foreigner who have no authority over the Caprivi, they even tried to change the name of the Caprivi, no one can change the name of the Caprivi except the people of the Caprivi themselves and we can only do that in a democratic process by voting. No one by the stroke of a pen can change the name of the
Caprivi no, for that matter an illegal regime. Regime that has no authority over the Caprivi, they are just illegal to be honest with you I want the people of Caprivi to understand it. Caprivi is not Namibia, Namibia is running the Caprivi by cheating you people they think you don’t know your own history you don’t know how the Caprivi is , so they are capitalising on that one which is very very cruel of them. So please all Caprivians let us be united we are going to be free.
Nobody is going to stop the freedom of the Caprivi nobody. We are involved in the freedom struggle and we will be there we will be free we shall be free one of these days. It’s not that the freedom takes too long nothing good
takes a short time anything good takes a long time because in the process people have lessons to learn and understand
now everybody is understanding where the Caprivi starts and where the Caprivi ends .You know in this world nothing good comes easy. If something comes very easy it cannot last so long.
CVNEWS: You said earlier that the accused Caprivians in prison are not guilty, why are you saying that?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo: As far as I am concerned they are not guilty, if Caprivians when they fight for their freedom are guilt then Sam Nujoma and his bunch are also guilty because they also took arm to fi ght for their freedom. They had people like Toivo who were in prison in South Africa for many years because he was fighting for freedom and our people also are in the Namibian prison they are fighting for freedom. It is the fight for freedom that has taken them there.
The Namibian people last time they were fi ghting again an illegal regime in Namibia. We also now fighting a Namibian regime in the Caprivi that is putting up people in prison.
So as far as am concerned they are not criminals those are freedom fighters. They want freedom of the Caprivi. The Caprivi case is not a criminal case is a political case, people want freedom. We are not Namibians mark my word we are not, we have never been we were not even part of South West Africa and we shall not be part of South West Africa. That’s why I am saying those people there, the court they are just SWAPO branches; SWAPO district courts. The cannot try our people. I am saying every Caprivian, everything that is Caprivian be it flora or fauna must be involved in the struggle, everything you must even interview the elephant, interview everybody what is the contribution of that elephant or that lion in the struggle for freedom , this is very important. Everything in the Caprivi; everything that is called Caprivi even if it’s a tree you must talk to it what contribution is making in this struggle for freedom. Everything must be part of the struggle whether it is an insect it must be organized it must be talked too , it must be told to make a contribution for the freedom of Caprivi that’s what I am saying I am not joking. You must mobilize everything.
CVNEWS: Lastly some they still have a mentality of tribalism saying that the independence of the Caprivi it is only for the Mafwe people and the Masubia are not part of it what can you advice other Caprivians with that mentality ?
Mr. Mishake Muyongo : I am asking all Caprivians lets put aside these tribal affi liations, let us look at the enemy that is occupying us, let’s look at the enemy that is killing our people, let’s look at that enemy and that enemy is the SWAPO illegal regime in the Caprivi now. We are all brothers and sisters, father and mothers of the Caprivi, we are all Caprivians we have never, if you look in the past history did you ever read anywhere, where Caprivians fought against each other no, why this thing now? That is the propaganda of SWAPO, SWAPO wants to divide and rule our people that’s why is creating all these things. They are creating division, they want to say this one is a Mufwe, this one is a Musubia this one is what. We are all Caprivians there. We must think as Caprivians. The people who should be not there are those Wambos that I hear that they grew in the Caprivi. Those ones are not Caprivians, those who came yesterday they are not Caprivians.
I here somewhere there around Masida up to Singalamwe there they are settling them there and we don’t need Ovambo settlers in the Caprivi. We have enough Caprivians, enough land for every Caprivian not for an Ovambo.
I am appealing to the people of Caprivi lets not talk about tribalism now no.That thing will delay our independence. SWAPO is trying to divide us. The Boers used the same tactic of divide and rule , Sam Nujoma and his group now are using the same thing. There is nothing that the illegal regime of South Africa that time used in the Caprivi against the Caprivians that SWAPO is not using today. They have the same footsteps. Terrorizing our people, even those who came
out from prison I am told they cannot meet, somebody is going to ask what are you talking about? They are following them all over. That’s why I said the Caprivi is like a concentration camp at the moment total concentration camp,
surrounded by the military, surrounded by the police. Everywhere, every movement a Caprivian make they want to know what are you talking about. What else can they talk about other than their freedom they have the right to do so. So let’s concentrate our minds on the liberation struggle to free ourselves not these petty things of tribalism no there is room for
every Caprivian. We are all relatives in there in the Caprivi. There is a lot of inter-marriage among the Caprivians so there is none who can say I am a Musubia or Mufwe no we are all Caprivians.
First we must think in terms that we are Caprivians that is very important. We are going to be free very very soon mark my word. For those who are still in prison I am sure the judge is still consulting SWAPO what he should say at the end of the day whatever is going to say the Caprivi case will reach the International Court of Justice we will reach, I will never rest until I die until Caprivi is free I have dedicated my life, I will not rest until Caprivi is free , we will reach the International
Court of Justice and we are even managing to fi nd people who are going to support us, we are even fi nding countries that are going to take this case to the International Court of justice and the United Nations has many times acted
when they are asked to do this thing. Those illegal regimes that are running you there they haven’t gone to the UN to pass on the resolution. UN vehicles where marked in the Caprivi, we shall talk othertime my brother.
United we stand divided we fall , we are our own liberators …
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