ERSTWHILE All People’s Party top administrator Vincent Kanyetu says the party’s top brass has concocted plans to impose a gay leader on its members, something he does not endorse as a Christian.
Kanyetu made headlines recently, when he and members of his family resigned from the APP with immediate effect, claiming they were being suffocated by the party’s founders who are allegedly advancing a gay agenda.
“I just want to communicate my resignation from my position as secretary general and member of both the party and all its organs with immediate effect as from today, together with my family members, [a] total [of] 200 [people],” reads part of Kanyetu’s resignation letter, addressed to acting party leader Erastus Nangolo Shuumbwa.
“Our decision has come as a result of us restoring our family peace and our dignity, as well as respect. We wish you and the entire leadership well and it was a pleasure to have been working with all of you people,” Kanyetu said.
In an explosive interview with New Era, Kanyetu said it does not sit well with him that Agapitus Hausiku, the director of Out-Right Namibia, a Windhoek-based organisation, which advocates the equality of LGBTQI community, has been touted as APP’s next president.
Hausiku, according to Kanyetu, is “gay”.
“I just gave them space of what they want and they want to make Agapitus Hausiku the president. I’m a Christian and I cannot allow a m**fie [derogatory term for a gay man] to be my president, over my dead body… I can never be in a party led by a gay president. I cannot allow those satanic things. I stand by my values and that’s it,” the politician said.
The situation in APP, Kanyetu charged, became untenable, while his working relationship with the party’s top officials was damaged beyond repair.
“I don’t think there’s anyone who would work with a person who doesn’t trust him or her, so when working relations becomes sour, distrust and so many other things, one cannot continue to work in an environment where things are done behind their back or when they are accused of things. I came to understand that all this has surfaced due to the death of [the late Ignatius] Shixwameni, may his soul rest in peace,” the politician claimed.
According to Kanyetu, under Shixwameni’s tutelage, the party was progressing.
“His death created that anxiety to some people who call themselves the owners of the party, so whatever I try to do as SG in terms of planning, it’s always overruled. They call some of us intruders who are not the owners of the party. So, I came to a point that if APP doesn’t value me then it’s also fine, I cannot force myself into the party,” he said.
Genesis
Things started crumbling for Kanyetu when news broke in June that he was suspended from the party, after information linking him a Rundu-based pressure group called United Namibian’s Party (UNP), surfaced.
Talk is rife that UNP is in the process of transforming it into a fully-fledged political party.
According to reports, Kanyetu’s presence on UNP’s WhatsApp group platform made the APP leadership panic and led to them questioning where his allegiances lay.
“Yes, I did receive Kanyetu’s resignation on 19 August,” confirmed Shuumbwa.
He told New Era that he was not aware the founding members of APP are pushing to vote for Hausiku as the party’s next president as claimed by Kanyetu.
“I’m not aware of such a thing, it has not been discussed with me, I don’t know who is pushing for Hausiku,’’ he said.
LGBTQ+
“So, when Kanyetu joined the party, didn’t he know that his cousin, Agapitus Hausiku was gay? How can he not know his cousin’s sexual orientation and today it becomes an issue?’’ asked Hausiku when asked for a comment.
Hausiku said that when the party crafted its manifesto during last elections, Kanyetu was the SG, and that manifesto has an element that speaks of the LGBTQ+ community. “When the issue of who needs to become the president started it was not an issue of who is gay and what. Him bringing in the matter in because he wants to use it to advance his own agenda, then the people are saying this is not the principle of the party, the party is a democratic organisation and anyone irrespective of gender or sexual orientation can join,’’ the gay rights activist said.
According to Hausiku, his cousin Kanyetu is just trying to take the spotlight from his murky deeds that he was found guilty of in the last disciplinary hearing.
“Out of the five charges against him, he was found guilty of four charges. There are married women he has been harassing in the party. The Grootfontein case, we lost a lot of money. Why? Because he went there and promised a young lady that she would be given the position. The party lost in court and paid the person he removed from the councillor’s position. We spent close to N$900 000,” he said. “He must not use my sexual orientation to escape his charges. He also wanted to be the party’s president, immediately after the death of our president, he announced his candidacy and other people said they will also announce their candidate and now is it wrong for people to say they want Agapitus to take over? I don’t know why my sexuality is a threat to the whole country I don’t understand it,” he said.
According to Hausiku, Kanyetu’s cases came to the fore before Shixwameni died, and the party had to deal with them eventually.
Kanyetu is no stranger to controversy.
Back in 2015, he left the DTA, now Popular Democratic Movement, with a dark cloud over his head.
Kanyetu was accused of misconduct, mishandling party funds and bringing the name of the party into disrepute.
- jmuyamba@nepc.com.na