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‘Sacrificing Swapo was worth it’, Amupanda

2015-07-27  Staff Report 2

‘Sacrificing Swapo was worth it’, Amupanda
Windhoek Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leaders say their expulsion from the Swapo Party over their stance on the housing and land question was a small sacrifice to make a decision they do not regret. AR faced a storm of criticism from within the Swapo Party since it surfaced last November, a situation which last week resulted in the three – Job Amupanda, George Kambala and Dimbulukeni Nauyoma – getting expelled from the party over their approach to the problem. “We took a principled position to enter negotiations on behalf of our generation. They would’ve never forgiven us if we had placed expulsion at the centre. Between a membership card and a plot, what will you choose? So we went in there to focus on land and not politics,” Amupanda said on Sunday. Speaking to New Era during separate interviews yesterday, the trio maintained that the land issue is a national issue and not party-based. According to Amupanda: “We were never paid for positions we held [in the party]. We spent money on taxis to travel to rallies, ink to print documents and traveling on SWAPO things. We will actually save money now and save up for our plots, instead of spending it on ‘viva, viva politics’.” Nauyoma, on the other hand said “when we took on this struggle to restore the dignity of our people in November 2014, it was never about me, but our people… In any struggle there will always be sacrifices.” He maintains, however, that the issue is not yet resolved, adding that: “This is just the beginning. Hence we need to understand the task ahead of us. Each Namibian must play their role in ensuring that 200,000 plots are delivered as promised.” Kambala says: “Leadership is about servanthood, serving the people. Leadership starts within oneself; justice to the downtrodden, solidarity with the common good of all people. I live by those values. I may not live to see the day that each and every Namibian lives in their own home, but I know that day is coming.” “As for the President, we commend his leadership for taking charge of the situation in regards to the negotiations and for taking an inclusive approach. We thank him for his fatherly fortitude and for ignoring the negative vibes and information peddled about AR,” Kambala said.
2015-07-27  Staff Report 2

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