KATIMA MULILO – Swapo presidential candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has hit back at naysayers who claim she has achieved nothing in the past 34 years that she has been in government.
She asked those holding this view to revisit her track record at each of the portfolios she has held in government, as her work speaks volumes about her achievements.
She made these remarks on Saturday in Katima Mulilo, where the ruling party held a star rally.
“Some people state: you have been there since day one. I agree, but my being there has contributed, with others, to the achievements we have had, including investing in developmental infrastructure such as roads, schools and hospitals,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
Highlighting her achievements, which include actioning social grants to orphans and vulnerable children while at the helm of the ministry of gender equality, she said such groups are now receiving grants monthly because of her policies.
“This is to underline and inform you that when I say something, I mean it, and I follow up to ensure implementation. So, no one should mislead you to say she has been there (and did nothing). Follow the records where I was given specific assignments, and I carried them out.
Now, Namibian people through the Swapo Party have decided to give me that national responsibility to lead them to prosperity, and I am ready,” she added.
In the Zambezi region, she pointed to major projects such as the Trans-Caprivi Highway and the Zambezi-Ngoma bridge, which have positioned the region to be an economic hub and gateway to the rest of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
She also talked about health and education, saying the government cares about the nation.
“This is the leader talking to you. You will never regret it. If she talks, she believes in implementation,” she remarked.
The party then distributed mock ballot papers on the day to educate voters how to cast their ballot, before the national elections on 27 November.
In tandem, Swapo secretary general Sophia Shaningwa is optimistic about her party’s victory, and also questioned how the ruling party would not emerge victorious if the situation on the ground says so.
To strengthen their campaign during the star rally at Katima Mulilo, Shaningwa did not waste time, with her primary goal being to show and educate voters about the Swapo candidate being at number 15 on the ballot, and how and where voters should put their mark on election day.
“The Swapo Party must get 100% from Zambezi. It will be your sons and daughters who will be in parliament, so there must be no spoilt ballot papers. You have to do door-to-door campaigns. We are so many to be beaten by those with empty tanks,” she urged.
On agriculture, Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed dissatisfaction that the residents of Zambezi lack information about the agricultural opportunities where one can get assistance from Agribank, some of which is collateral-free.
She reminded the electorate to question her priorities and promises after five years, if they gave her the mandate to be Namibia’s president.
Meanwhile, addressing another rally in Ondangwa over the weekend, lawyer and Swapo politburo member Sisa Namandje described the party as the protector and guarantor of all Namibians.
“Swapo is the mother and father movement for their motherland,” he declared. Namandje said Swapo cares for all Namibians, and notwithstanding challenges such as droughts, diseases, crime and unemployment, the ruling party has done substantially well.
“Children from poor families have been able to achieve their academic dreams. Roads are being constructed all over Namibia. Water infrastructure is being constructed every day. Houses, health facilities, educational facilities… every day you open the newspaper, procurement tenders are out for the purpose of providing public service to our people,” he stated.
He added that for all this to continue, people must vote for Swapo.
Namandje noted that with only 25 days left before the Presidential and National Assembly elections, Swapo is ready to lead the Namibian people for another five years.
“We are rounding up what was a very effective and efficient Swapo Party election campaign. The success of our campaign cannot be ignored. It is evident in all the corners of Namibia,” he noted.
He stressed that people know that their constitutional democracy arrived at the back of years of division, institutionalised injustice, and economic inequity forced upon them through brutal apartheid policies and laws.
Additional reporting by Nampa
(Swapo)