By William Mbangula
ONDJIVA
The Governor of Kunene Province in Angola Pedro Mutindi has cautioned Namibian business institutions that do business in his country as well as some political parties that his Government will take drastic action against them if they are found to be undermining the Swapo-led government in Namibia.
Mutindi noted that there is a concerted campaign to undermine the traditional allies of the liberation struggle such as the ANC in South Africa, ZANU- PF in Zimbabwe, Frelimo in Mozambique, Swapo in Namibia, MPLA in Angola and the PAIGC in Guinea-Bissau.
Such allies, he noted, were brothers and sisters in the struggle for national liberation and will continue to work together in victory. This is the standpoint of leaders of governments headed by the allies of the liberation struggle, he said.
As former victims of their common enemies who tried to destroy them, the allies were fully aware that their enemies were currently trying to separate them through many ways, he said.
He warned that any political party or business institution that is trying to undermine the Swapo-led government is not welcome in Angola.
The Angolan government is more than ready to deal with any anti-Swapo government parties. If there are any business institutions operating on Angolan soil and are financing conspiracies against the Namibian ruling party, they should stop immediately since once detected, they will be dealt with severely, said the governor.
Flanked by his Deputy Jeronimo Haleinge, the Director of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Development, Rafael Albino, the Director of Commerce, Tourism and Hotels, Gabriel Nghiikimhote and Dr Eduardo Haitumba David, the Director of Health, Mutindi revealed that some business institutions and individual politicians are well-known to him and he has personally cautioned them while others he still needs to talk to.
Said Mutindi: “Such institutions or individuals may succeed to destroy Swapo today, and tomorrow they will do the same to the MPLA. We have concrete arguments, and history and the results of our efforts are there for everyone to see hence the need for us to meet always in order to evaluate the past and devise strategies for the way forward.”
Mutindi expressed the willingness of his government to assist in the identification of four unclaimed bodies in the Oshakati police mortuary believed to be of Angolans. He is ready to take up the matter as soon as all relevant facts related to the matter are communicated to him.
The governor was speaking at a meeting with his counterpart of Oshana Region Clemens Kashuupulwa recently during a one-day visit to Ondjiva, the regional capital of Kunene Province.
Kashuupulwa was accompanied by the Chief Regional Officer of Oshana, John Kandombo, Member of the National Council and Councillor of Oshakati West, Aram Martin, Member of the Management Committee and Councillor of Oshakati East, Lotto Kuushomwa, Councillor of Ongwediva, Silverius Ekandjo and Member of the Management Committee and Councillor of Ondangwa, Ismael Uugwanga.
Kashuupulwa expressed appreciation for being invited as part of the labour meeting in Angola.
He agreed with Mutindi that Swapo and the MPLA came a long way in their fight against apartheid colonialism hence they cannot forget the supreme sacrifices made. As a result they have to work together in victory.
He noted that bilateral relations between the two countries are excellent at national level. Given the good relations, the regional governments need to strengthen their cooperation in order to successfully carry out their mandate.
The meeting of January 21, said the Oshana governor, is a clear testimony of the excellent bilateral relations and a manifestation that the two countries have a mandate to improve the living conditions of their inhabitants.
Such improvement should aim to make the two countries industrialized, self-sufficient in infrastructure capacity, to consolidate socio-economic development and create better living standards for their people within a short period.
Kashuupuluwa took cognizance of the fact that the post-war reconstruction boom and resettlement of displaced people had led to a high rate of growth in construction and agricultural development in Angola.
He congratulated the Angolan government and its leaders and assured them that the Namibian delegation was in the country to learn about their successes as well as assist in their re-construction programmes.
The governor seized the opportunity to invite Angolan small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to set up manufacturing industries in Namibia. At the same time he urged Angolan business people to enter into joint ventures with their Namibian counterparts.
He also invited them to participate in the Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair (OATF) scheduled to take place in August this year.
Besides the successes achieved by the Angolan and Namibian governments in addressing socio-economic problems, Kashuupulwa added that they still face a number of challenges. He said many Angolans living in Oshana or passing through the region do experience difficulties, adding that some Angolans do change their names once in Namibia, making it difficult for their national government to identify them.
The Joint Permanent Commission on Defence and Security which meets regularly is however addressing some of these problems including illegal immigrants, stock and vehicle theft and drugs smuggling.
On the envisaged Cassinga Memorial Service, Kashuupulwa informed his counterpart that Namibians intend to visit the mass grave at Cassinga in Huila Province as part of the 30th commemoration of one of the sad chapters of the Namibian liberation struggle.
Since they will pass through Kunene Province, he thought it appropriate to inform Mutindi about the trip to take place around May 4, this year. Cassinga is a mining town located about 250 kilometres from the Namibian border.
It became the focus of attention since May 4,1978 when the colonial South African troops massacred Namibian civilians there under the care of Swapo.
The Kunene Province in Angola is one of the areas that make up the 18 administrative provinces of Angola. It is strategically located and borders Namibia with citizens of both countries sharing the same culture, language and economic benefits and visiting each other without hindrance.
Due to their inter-relations, the delegations deliberated on the need to have animals on both sides of the border vaccinated.
Farmers on both sides of the border need to improve their livelihood by making sure that they have healthy and marketable animals locally, regionally and internationally.
It was suggested that for the farmers of the two countries to have healthy and properly controlled movements of animals, there is a need to have common entry points and to have quarantine camps where animals can be kept for proper observation.
The delegation agreed that veterinary officials from both countries would meet soon to find a lasting solution to the problem.
The Namibian delegation was taken around the town of Ondjiva to see some of the illustrious re-construction work taking place in the town which is located about 40 kilometres from the Namibian border.
Places visited were the University of Angola, the open market, Aquila Verde Hotel, the Villa Okapale Hotel, Ondjiva International Airport, the road under construction to Xangongo through the central parts of Angola and another road from Ondjiva to Cuvelai still under construction.
Also visited was the famous Omunyele tree (Acacia) that is situated near the site where the Swapo Transit Centre was located before the 1975 civil conflict started. The conflict became complicated when the South African colonial troops invaded Angola in support of UNITA and the FNLA while the MPLA was backed by the Cuban forces and other allies.