Rundu
Residents of Kavango East and Kavango West regions plan to hold a ‘massive demonstration’ Saturday against what they claim is the underfunding of the two regions.
Paulus Mbangu, a member of the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) central committee who is chairing the committee overseeing the planned demonstration, confirmed that residents of the two regions will on Saturday stage a peaceful demonstration.
Last year some residents of the two Kavango regions nearly blocked the Trans-Caprivi Highway on grounds that not many of them are employed in leadership positions, but the demonstration that did not have the blessing of their chiefs was aborted.
According to Mbangu, Saturday’s demonstration is aimed at raising concerns on the high level of poverty in the regions, as statistics show the two regions are the poorest in the country, and also to raise concerns about the spiralling unemployment rate especially among the youth.
Mbangu says the demonstration will also highlight that the two regions and their local authorities are “deliberately being underfunded” and as a result, are unable to develop on par with other regions in the country.
“The residents will meet on Saturday morning at Rundu Sports Stadium and at 9am we will start to demonstrate from the stadium and move down to the office of the Honourable Governor of Kavango East, Dr Samuel Mbambo, where a petition will be handed to him,” Mbangu told New Era.
New Era further tried to contact Governor Mbambo but he could not be reached for comment.
“There will be two petitions – one will be handed to the governor of Kavango East and the other to the governor of Kavango West (Sirkka Ausiku),” stated Mbangu.
Last year residents of Kavango East and Kavango West also planned to demonstrate over what they perceived the exclusion of residents of the two regions from senior government positions, but that protest did not materialise because it was not supported by their chiefs.
“This is a peaceful demonstration – the police are informed and they will be present at the demonstration to guide us. The governor is aware of the demonstration,” he said.
According to Mbangu the organizing committee has arranged buses to pick up people from as far as Nkurenkuru in Kavango West and Divundu in Kavango East.
