The Popular Democratic Movement Youth League (PDMYL) has called on Namibians to boycott the 30th Independence Day celebrations, saying the ruling party has failed to deliver on the promises it made in 1989.
According to PDM youth leader, Benson Katjirijova, Founding President Sam Nujoma at a Swapo rally at Okatana in October, 1989 said: “There will be no poor people in an independent Namibia under a Swapo government.”

However, he said 30 years later Namibia has become the epitome of economic inequalities, joblessness, homelessness and landlessness.

Namibians will celebrate Independence Day on 21 March, which will also include the swearing-in of President Hage Geingob for his final term as president. The ministry of information last week said only N$1 million has been budgeted for the celebrations. 

“We feel that the Namibian house promised by Swapo in 1989 is a far-fetched dream. There is therefore nothing to celebrate. We cannot celebrate in hunger, joblessness, homelessness, and landlessness,” Katjirijova told journalists yesterday.

“This is not the Namibia that Hendrik Witbooi, Samuel Maharero, Mandume Ya Ndemufayo, Hosea Kutako, Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo, Clemence Kapuuo and Sam Nujoma fought for. Swapo promised the nation Jerusalem in 1989 but has instead delivered Mogadishu. The unemployment rate is at a staggering 34% although we believe that the real figure could be as high as 52%. Youth unemployment stands at a shocking 44% with many young people left to fend for themselves through crime and other malicious activities.”
Katjirijova added during Swapo’s rule, informal settlements have sprung up all across the breadth and width of Namibia, standing out in each and every city and town of Namibia. 

“There are now more than 900 000 Namibians living in shacks in Namibia. That represents almost half of the population, an unacceptable state of affairs for a country of just 2, 8 million people,” he said. 

He said many Namibians are still landless, as a result of Swapo’s corruption and a clear lack of policy decisiveness on the land issue, coupled with the appointment of “incompetent ministers such as Uutoni Nujoma” in the land ministry. “Corruption is totally out of control, the latest being the Fishrot scandal. Corrupt Swapo politicians and their stooges have ripped this country off billions of dollars through their greed, money that could have been invested in other imperative sectors such as health, education and infrastructure,” he said.

Addressing diplomats on Friday, President Geingob maintained that Independence Day is worth celebrating and should never be downplayed. 
-ktjitemisa@nepc.com.na