WINDHOEK – The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) in Lüderitz district says threats by the Swapo regional coordinator for // Karas, Mathew Mumbala, to suspend Swapo leaders supporting affirmative repositioning is a “political miscarriage”.
In a statement signed by Bernard Shimanya, the SPYL chairperson of national leaders assigned to // Karas Region and member of SPYL central committee, said the youth league urges “all Namibian landless youth to go apply for land comes 27 February country wide and in // Karas region” and that “those who can assist other youth must also do so without fear”.
The statement said youth are 60 percent of the population and are the hardest hit by many socio-economic problems – one of which is land.
“It is with [this] in mind that as the leaders of the youth in //Karas region we are concerned about the weekend’s personal views expressed by //Karas regional coordinator of the Swapo Party who threatened people who will be assisting youth to apply for land. We reject the lies that applying for land is illegal,” Shimanya said adding: “The threats made are baseless and empty and should be dismissed as such.”
Over the weekend, Mumbala criticised the planned mass land application on February 27, spearheaded by suspended SPYL leader, Job Amupanda’s affirmative repositioning, saying youths should rather wait for government to take action on land. Mumbala also threatened to suspend anyone from the party’s regional leadership for participating in the national mass land application.
Shimanya said the land issue “must not be politicised. We are all Swapo members and it doesn’t mean by applying land we are against our party. Mumbala must not apply political despondency when it comes to land issue,” he says in the statement.
The youth leader also tore into the person of Mumbala saying it was under his leadership that Swapo lost Karasburg local authority to the opposition party. “Since when is he playing a Swapo Jesus and regards land activists as anti-Swapo,” questioned the statement before going on to say Mumbala’s election to be the party regional coordinator does not mean he is “the most Swapo activist” in the region. “Mumbala was only elected because he was the only unemployed candidate at that regional conference, because no well-paid employed delegate will stand for such lowly paying position,” read the statement.