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8 LIFE IN INDEPENDENT NAMIBIA In 1992, I was called to the SWAPO office at Ohangwena, where I was informed that I was one of a selected group of veterans to whom SWAPO was giving cattle. I was being given eleven head of cattle. My cattle were at a place called Mururani, where SWAPO had acquired a cattle post. I was further informed that it was my right to collect my cattle from the cattle post, but that I was equally welcome to leave them under the care of the SWAPO people at the cattle post, who would gladly look after them on my behalf. As I wanted to see my cattle, I went to Mururani to look at them with my own eyes. I was pleasantly surprised by this wonderful news. In our culture, cattle is the most important asset to possess, the asset by which a person’s economic standing is measured. If you do not have cattle in my society, you do not have any social and economic status and are treated almost like a child. I was therefore really very grateful that SWAPO had considered me as a beneficiary for these valuable animals. I had to think about what to do with my cattle. I did not have land or a farm, nor did I have a cattle post. If I took my cattle away from the SWAPO cattle post, where would I take them? SWAPO had thought of me and had given me this gift without me having asked for it. I therefore decided to entrust my cattle to the care of my comrades and leave them at the SWAPO cattle post. The cattle were a great help to me. Sadly, one of my children from exile who had returned with me to Namibia passed away in 1996. The ceremonial process around death in my culture must be observed, even under the most tragic or difficult circumstances. I was therefore confronted with a lot of mourners coming and going. The bereaved family is obliged to feed the mourners, who have come to share their grief and offer sympathy and solidarity. I realised that to fulfill this obligation I would have to fetch one of my Mukwahepo – woman soldier mother 130 cows. So, I walked to the SWAPO office at Ohangwena and asked for help to get a cow from the cattle post at Mururani. I was advised that it would be best to borrow a cow from someone in the community and repay that person later because it was a lengthy process to organise one from Mururani. Eventually, I borrowed a cow from a neighbour and I gave my child a dignified funeral. After the mourning period was over, I made another effort through the SWAPO office to get to Mururani in order to fetch a cow so that I could repay my neighbour. In 1998, SWAPO took me to the cattle post. I was shown all my cows and felt truly grateful. I took seven animals with me. I returned again in 2004 and was happy to see that my animals had bred very nicely. I took six cows with me and left seven at the cattle post. I was very content with this arrangement. After all, I did not have my own cattle post where I could have taken my animals and, in any case, was too old to hire people to maintain a cattle post for me. Besides, the cattle do not seem to do well in the Owambo environment. The seven cows that I took with me in 1998 all died in a rather strange way, and of the six animals I took in 2004, only two survived. The cows do not seem to like the weather in Owambo, so I preferred them to remain at Mururani. Although SWAPO does not update me regarding how my cattle are doing, I am readily given all the information I require whenever I go to the cattle post. I am perfectly happy with this arrangement and have no intention of changing it. This is also a question of trust. SWAPO has brought me this far, and I have faith in my party. Following the declaration of independence, SWAPO set up its government structure. At the time of independence, I was jobless and without an income. The work I had done for SWAPO in exile came to an end on the day I was repatriated from Angola to Namibia. On my return home, I had...

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