Press Release:
CCG DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON MYSTERIOUSLY MISSING
Monday, 02 May 2016
We wish to inform the nation and all human rights organizations that our Deputy Chairperson, Mr. Retief Kangongo is missing since the morning of Saturday 30 April 2016 following the report by New Era Newspaper of the preceding day, Friday 29 April 2016, in which leaders of Caprivi Concerned Group (CCG) were maliciously threatened by the Inspector General of the Namibian police.
In the newspaper report, the Inspector General, Sabastian Ndeitunga, was reported as saying “we have been working hard to make sure that if they continue with the idea of Caprivi secession, to dismember the Republic of Namibia, they will face the same fate like those ones who were in court or are now behind bars.”
He continued, according to the report, saying “they (CCG leaders) can go to sangomas a million times, we don’t care with sangomas… We don’t believe in sangomas, it’s a waste of time, our bullets will never distinguish between a secessionist and a sangoma. They will face the same fate.”
It is well documented that many suspected “secessionists” disappeared without trace between 1998 and 2004 up to now. Last year in the same newspaper in May, the same Inspector admitted that “some of the suspects in the protracted Caprivi high treason case endured the worst forms of torture.” In 2014, the National Coordinator of CCG, Mr. Aldrin Mahulilo, was taken by Namibian police officers from Katima Mulilo town centre to the bush by Choto informal settlement where he was forcefully undressed, pepper sprayed on face and left there.
The last time some of us telephonically spoke with Cde. Kangongo was Friday evening when he was in Rundu. He informed us that there is a suspicious car following him to every place he goes. He promised to inform us if anything will happen to him if possible, but we have failed to communicate with him since then, and his family members are also unaware of his whereabouts. If anyone knows his where abouts or have a clue of what actually happened to him, please inform us.
The threats by Ndeitunga, and the unfortunate missing of our comrade follows an unconfirmed rumor which have been circulating for the last three weeks that there exist a “hit list” featuring CCG leaders and some current (and former) leaders of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA). It is also believed that there are some Vambos and Caprivians hired to assassinate those nationalists on the list. Comrade Kangongo, like all CCG leaders is believed to be on such a list.
With all these, we have reason to believe that something sinister might have happened or done to him by either the Namibian Police, the Hit Squad, Political leaders insulted in video reported by New Era Newspaper, or some Namibian community members who might have been influenced by Ndeitunga’s call to condemn secessionists and not to “allow anyone to distabilise peace and security in Namibia”. It is therefore our conviction that if anything negative happened to Cde. Kangongo, the Inspector General and New Era Newspaper should be held responsible if not accountable.
We also call upon human rights organisations and the international community to keep their eyes on Caprivi Strip and to condemn the state funded witch hunt and/or manhunt and human rights violations perpetuated against suspected Caprivi nationalists, CCG leaders and sympathisers. Our lives are in danger, and anything can happen to us anytime.
Edwin M Samati
Secretary General
Caprivi Concerned Group
Caprivi Strip, Southern Africa
concernedcaprivians@gmail.com