CU Mr Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba, member of the SWAPO National Executive Committee, speaking in English to Visnews reporter


HIFIKEPUNYE: "It is true, in the People's Republic of Angola, we have Namibian refugees there who are given accommodation or asylum by the People's Republic of Angola, as a result of the brutal killing of the Namibians. These people had to leave their country into Angola to seek refuge. These are apart from the Angolan villagers who are being killed by the raiders, are also fellow victims of the South African aggressors when they come to follow them up in Angola, killing both Angolans and the Namibian refugees."

REPORTER: "What you are saying, clearly, is that its Namibian refugees, children and women, who have been killed in recent raids."

HIFIKEPUNYE: "Exactly, as they did at Cassinga. In fact, we should perhaps not talk about the recent raids alone. We should go further to other raids which have happened, including the Cassinga one, that the South Africans have been waging ever since the last four years. South Africans have failed to trace the freedom fighters in Namibia; they get out of the country, to come and kill the refugees whom they have compelled to leave their countries, neighbouring countries of Angola and the Republic of Zambia."

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Background: A leading official of the South-West African Peoples Organisation (SWAPO) says that recent raids by South African troops into Angola have killed many refugees, as well as local villagers. hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba, a member of SWAPO's National Executive, told reporters in Angola that the refugees were those who had fled brutality in Namibia (South-West Africa).