I was shocked by the media reports yesterday that DTA leader McHenry Venaani has publicly stated that ancient Nama leader Hendrick Witbooi is overrated.
Venaani was reacting to an honour bestowed on Witbooi after a Keetmanshoop military base was named after him.
Rather shallowly, Venaani drew unnecessary comparisons between Witbooi and Chief Samuel Maharero. He also cited Cornelius Fredericks as among those who did better than Witbooi.
At a time when President Hage Geingob is urging all Namibians to preserve unity, Venaani did the exact opposite of that. There was no need for him to draw comparisons between the forefathers of Namibia’s resistance of colonialism.
If Venaani felt that Maharero and Fredericks were under-recognised, he should have argued his case without questioning the heroics of Witbooi. Drawing comparisons between such revolutionary leaders was ill-thought on the part of the man considered by many as the brightest star of opposition politics in Namibia.
His argument clearly has a tribal undertone. True, Maharero is a hero in his own right. He ran his own race and his contribution should not be seen against those of his contemporaries. Each Namibian hero’s contribution should be valued because it is, after all, a product of selflessness.
Venaani’s remarks have hurt the descendants of Witbooi and all nationalists in the country. When we are celebrating Heroes Day in August, we will hail all Namibian heroes irrepespetive of the size of their contribution towards the society we live in today.
Jackson Kandume
Ohangwena