Katima mulilo
President Hage Geingob says tribalism should no more be a topical subject in the Zambezi Region – 25 years after Namibia gained independence and was declared a unitary state.
Geingob, whose mantra has become ‘no Namibian should feel left out’, said the region – often a tribal hotspot over differences between mainly the Masubia and Mafwe tribes – should put its tribal differences aside and focus on progressive matters of common interest.
“We have a unitary state that cancels the Bantustans that divided us according to our tribes. I hope and pray that we can hold hands as Namibians to maintain peace,” the President, who is on tour of Zambezi and Kavango East regions, said yesterday in Katima Mulilo.
“Even a small thing like tribalism can trigger a war,” Geingob cautioned.
He said he shuns tribalism that refuses to die in the region. “I am surprised to have heard the governor [Lawrence Sampofu] talking about tribalism in this region 25 years after independence. When I came here way back in 1989 I was showed a cutline between two tribes (Mafwe and Masubia), despite the fact that we even speak the same language,” noted Geingob.
Governor Sampofu had earlier said tribalism still persists in the region despite having initiated the Chiefs’ Forum in 2012, and having encouraged the four traditional authorities in the region to resolve tribal matters through dialogue.
The traditional authorities of the Masubia, Mafwe and Mashi were all represented by their chiefs at the meeting with Geingob. The Mayeyi chief Boniface Shufu was absent and was said to have experienced transport problems.
At the meeting, Geingob said he firmly believes in democracy as it embodies a peaceful resolution of any disagreements.
He also held marathon consultations in Katima Mulilo with the regional leadership and ordinary residents of Zambezi Region.
Before holding his consultative meetings at the town council chambers and the regional council, and the marathon meeting with the community at Ngweze community hall, Geingob held a meeting with Governor Sampofu who briefed him on pressing issues in the region.
The President throughout emphasised that in a democracy differences are resolved through dialogue – hence his decision to extend an olive branch to the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement that had previously set the deadline of July 31 to occupy land should their wishes not have been met.
“The President was elected by all of you as one constituency. I therefore represent all of you. In a democracy there is no going to war but dialogue,” he said.
“They say when diplomacy fails countries go to war. Why should we go to war when we live in a peaceful country? That’s why as President I challenged the young people of AR to talk,” noted Geingob on the recent resolutions on the urban land crisis that averted potentially destabilising land grabs countrywide.
He said this was despite the fact that he had earlier chaired a Swapo meeting – in his capacity as the party president – that expelled the AR leaders from Swapo, stressing that the resolutions with AR were reached in his position as Head of State and not as Swapo president.
“This deadline was going to cause chaos. We listened and talked to the young people even though I chaired the Swapo meeting that expelled them. When I put on the other hat I am the Head of State,” Geingob told the meeting held in Katima Mulilo yesterday.
Topics covered in his wide-ranging consultations with the community included an appeal by residents that the government upgrade the Katima Mulilo state hospital into an intermediate health facility to cut patient referrals, the repatriation of the human remains of Zambezi struggle heroes from Zambia, and measures to protect Namibian citizens from losing their lives along the border with Botswana, at the hands of Botswana Defence Force soldiers.
The marathon meetings were still continuing yesterday at the time of going to press.
It is Geingob’s first visit to Zambezi Region as the Head of State and he is still expected to visit the Isize-Luhonono road project, the Kalimbeza rice project and Macaravan East location, where 1 000 plots have been offered to the Lwayaha Hamoho group that had clashed with officials of the Katima Town Council over land allocation.
Geingob and his delegation are expected to depart for Kavango East Region later this afternoon.