Two delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross visited a South African military camp near Mariental, southern Namibia, on 28 January, and saw 118 persons detained for security reasons. The camp was previously visited by the Red Cross in June and September 1980.
The 118 detainees were abducted by South African forces from the Kassinga refugee settlement in Angola during the South African raid and massacre of 4 May 1978. They have been held incomunicado for three years without charge and there have been persistent reports of their torture and illtreatment, including the loss of limbs and eyes.
The Kassinga detainees are believed to be held at the Tenegab military base near Hardap Dam, Mariental. The Windhoek Observer reported at the end of February 1981 that, probably due to intercession by the Red Cross, they are now allowed to send or receive letters. The newspaper also suggested that the detainees were being provided with hot water and that food had improved.
According to this source, "although the camp is visible from the road at Mariental, the authorities are keeping it very closely guarded, and journalists are not allowed near the area, and even low-flying planes are berated for attempting to catch a glimpse of the place".
The South African authorities, although forced by the extensive publicity given to the case to concede the existence of the Kassinga detainees, have refused to divulge the names of those held. According to the Windhoek Observer, many relatives and friends are afraid to inquire personally from the Camp Commandant at Hardap Dam, as action may be taken against them. A list of names of those believed to be held at Hardap Dam has been published by SWAPO.
Sam Nujoma, the President of SWAPO, has told a South African journalist that SWAPO is prepared to negotiate the release of South African soldier Johan van der Mescht in exchange for one or more of the Namibian political prisoners held on Robben Island. "Mr. van der Mescht is an innocent child and a victim of the war. We are prepared to sit down and discuss with South Africa his release", Sam Nujoma said in an interview in Lusaka at the end of February.
Sapper van der Mescht was captured by SWAPO combatants in northern Namibia in 1978, and has since been held as a prisoner of war in Angola. In January 1981 it was reported that he had been handed over to the Angolan government, and was in good health.
The South African Minister of Defence, General Magnus Malan, has since ruled out the possibility of release for any of the Namibians on Robben Island, on the grounds that they are serving sentences for "common criminal law crimes", whereas van der Mescht is "an ordinary soldier who was kidnapped across the border. He is not a criminal". He said that South Africa would on the other hand negotiate an exchange of van der Mescht for "one or more SWAPO terrorists held by South African forces".
The Head of the SA Security Police in Namibia, Col. Johan van der Merwe, confirmed at the beginning of February that a "SWAPO Section leader" had been in detention in Kavango for the past month. Van der Merwe said that the man, who could not yet be identified, had been in charge of a team of seven guerillas who had apparently infiltrated into Kavango. Other members of this team had fled back into Angola, he said.
