Africa-Press – Angola. Benguela province Governor Manuel Nunes Júnior on Wednesday advocated the creation of cooperatives in fishing, agriculture, and other sectors to accommodate veterans who are still able to work.
Speaking to the press in the city of Benguela, the Governor envisaged solutions to the problems presented by former combatants located in the commune of Damba Maria and in the municipalities of Catumbela and Navegantes, where he made a assessment visited.
Manuel Nunes considers that this can be a way to improve the precarious living conditions of this class.
In his view, this strategy can make these former combatants have more stable, lasting and solid sources of income.
Among the various concerns presented are the difficulty of access to education for their children, a right enshrined in the law, to health, as well as the precarious houses where they live and the inability to pay for water and energy.
The former combatants’ pension, although it has gone from 23,000 to 54,000 kwanzas, is still considered by them to be low, given his monthly expenses.
Regarding the problems of payment of water and energy found in the three locations where he passed, Manuel Nunes Júnior explained that they will be analyzed in the light of what the law says.
“From what has been said, the law does not speak of exemption, but of a social tax, which is lower than the normal rate,” he said.
According to the GPB holder, these are aspects that should be dealt with with experts and see how ways can be found to mitigate this type of situation.
“There are a number of programs that exist within the scope of the diversity of the economy and the increase in national production, which if well planned and well structured could make some of these projects serve to guarantee more stable incomes,” he emphasized.
Asked about a time horizon to solve these problems, he said that “more than words, we will take action. We came here not to make mere observations, but to find solutions,” he said.
In the same vein, he said that those issues that have an immediate solution will be resolved soon, but those that need to be studied will be resolved at an opportune time.
The governor gave as an example a medical post he visited in Damba Maria, lacking resources, where he promised to intervene immediately. “We can guarantee that in the coming weeks this infrastructure will be completely rehabilitated and equipped,” he said.
“We have given great attention to this segment of our population, because they deserve all the respect and attention for everything they have done for the homeland and many of them still continue to do so,” he declared.
According to the Governor, it is the moral obligation of the State to give them a better living condition for the rest of their lives, allowing them to live with adequate comfort.
The Government of Benguela currently controls 3,780 former combatants throughout the province.
The Day of Former Combatants in Angola is celebrated on January 15, to honor the patriots who fought for the country”s independence achieved on November 11, 1975.
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