WINDHOEK- DTA president McHenry Venaani has described his first night of sleeping in Katutura’s Ombili location as “very cold”, amidst questions of whether his unprecedented decision to squat in the informal settlement is a genuine search for answers to poor people’s hardships or a cheap publicity stunt.
Venaani, a resident of the leafy suburb of Hochland Park, slept in Ombili on Wednesday night and was expected to do the same last night – saying he wanted to experience what poor people go through ahead of this year’s general elections in which he and his party will participate.
Venaani’s experience in Ombili is expected to dominate his campaign ahead of the November general elections, in which he is expected to challenge for the country’s presidency.
The Ombili location falls within the boundaries of the Tobias Hainyeko Constituency, which is under the leadership of Swapo councillor Zulu Shitongeni.
Charging that he is dancing on the emotions of poor people, Venaani’s critics say the politician’s action is in bad taste. Posing for photos – including one in which, despite being flamboyantly dressed, he is seen pounding mahangu – and posting them on social networks is viewed as a publicity stunt to secure votes in the upcoming elections.
Venaani, who plans to stay in Ombili until today, says his decision was fuelled by a desire to come to grips with the realities that people in that area deal with on a daily basis.
When New Era visited the DTA leader at his shack yesterday morning, he narrated how he would spend the night mingling with the locals until just before midnight, and thereafter blow out the candle to go to bed.
“The first night was really cold I tell you. Normally at home I only sleep with one blanket but here I had to sleep with three blankets,” he said.
“We would spend the evening talking with the people in the area till around 23h00. The music in the shebeens continued long into the night after I had gone to bed.”
Venaani said he decided to exchange his warm Hochland Park bedroom for a candle-lit shack, albeit only temporarily, so that he can have a chance to listen to the problems of the masses who live under harsh conditions.
With national elections a mere three months away, Venaani’s temporary relocation to Katutura has observers in mixed emotions.
Critics charge that Venaani’s sudden sympathy with the poor is driven by his hunger for high political office.
“There will never be a right time to do this because even if I had done this last year people would have said I am doing it because elections are the following year,” Venaani responded.
“But anyways, let them say that because people who know me know that I am always around people and I do not need to score political points because I already have those points. For me sleeping in a shack is not an experience because this is not new to me,” he said.
Venaani said critics are worried by his presence in the informal settlements because he is flagging the issues plaguing poor Namibians.
“The battle lines should not be about individuals but rather the myriad of challenges facing people,” he said.
He urged more leaders to humble themselves and visit people at the grassroots.
“Some of these people here told me that they do not even know who their councillor is, yet the constituency office is just a few metres away,” he said.
“For those who are criticising me for coming here on Wednesday wearing a suit, all I can say is that there are also pastors and teachers who live here but they do not go to church or school wearing torn overalls. Living in an informal settlement should not stop someone from wearing a suit.”
According to the politician, the debate on poverty is being “hidden under the carpet”.
“I know the problems facing our people cannot be solved in a day, but we need a coherent programme which addresses the needs of our people,” he said.
Venaani said the biggest challenges facing people in informal settlements is the lack of proper sanitation, availability of potable water, unemployment and property ownership.
“People here own shacks for more than 20 years yet they do not own the land on which those shacks are built. Yet you have the City of Windhoek selling land to politicians at half price, while more than100 people are forced to share a public toilet,” shared Venaani.
“We say we want to build a new parliament building for close to a billion and a military hospital for N$450 million, while we have people living under these dire conditions. We need to start prioritising. The Senate of the United States of America and the Bundestag of Germany have been there for over 100 years but they are functioning just well,” he said.