WINDHOEK – “I must say, I’m not going to speak Oshiwambo today. The other time I tried to speak Oshiwambo I nearly killed myself and I nearly killed the party. So I thank you for keeping the party alive when I put the party in trouble,” said Swapo Party Secretary General Nangolo Mbumba on Tuesday.
Mbumba made the remarks that caused laughter from the crowd at a Swapo meeting where the Swapo Party’s Vice-President and Prime Minister, Dr Hage Geingob, addressed the leadership of the Samora Machel, Tobias Hainyeko and Moses Garoeb constituencies on Tuesday night. Mbumba whose task was to introduce Geingob kept his speech brief, concise and to the point.
The meeting was held at a community meeting in Okuryangava and it was meant for Geingob to interact with the Swapo Party district leadership.
Geingob who gave the attendees the platform to advise him and ask questions encouraged the leadership to vote for him and Swapo in the elections tomorrow.
“I’m so happy to say that I’m your candidate. You demoralised the opposition (parties). It’s not good, so much so that they want to go to court,” said Geingob to the applause of the enthusiastic audience.
He said some parties mainly engage the electorate when it is election time.
“If you just appear during election time how do you think you are going to win?” said Geingob.
He encouraged the leadership to vote for him while also touching on the road Namibia has travelled to freedom from political oppression and that the country is now in the phase of economic emancipation.
“Thank you Swapo for choosing me to be your candidate. Don’t throw away you voters’ cards claiming you are protesting. Vote for the party which you trust,” implored Geingob. Geingob also noted that most of Swapo’s votes in the Khomas Region come from the three constituencies.
The district leaders advised Geingob and the leadership not to visit them only during elections. They also urged Geingob who is the Swapo Party’s presidential candidate to accelerate development in their districts.
“Our leaders know us during election time but after that we are forgotten. We need our leaders to come back and ask what we want because we are hungry,” remarked one of the attendees, Otto Nahambo.
Another man Ismael Mbekele said the government should build ablution facilities in Okahandja Park because many people are run over by cars while trying to cross Monte Cristo road to use the bushes to relieve themselves.
The meeting was delayed by three hours and the attendees were enthusiastic as they sang and danced to songs as they waited for Geingob and his delegation to arrive.
The Minister of Veterans’ Affairs, Dr Nickey Iyambo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Khomas Governor Laura McLeod-Katjirua, former Swapo MP Helmut Angula and members of the SADC electoral observer mission were amongst those who attended the meeting that ended late.
By Alvine Kapitako