Kuzeeko Tjitemisa
Leader of the official opposition, the Popular Democratic Movement, McHenry Venaani, has described President Hage Geingob’s comment during the Swapo congress as “very disturbing”.
During the official opening of the ruling party’s seventh congress, Geingob, speaking on the Fishrot matter allegedly told party delegates that they enjoy talking about Fishrot, if Fishrot had happen many years ago, many would have been imprisoned.
Venaani claimed that Geingob’s remark was an admission that the party, which he leads, is full of corrupt officials. “Geingob has said something very disturbing” that I want you, the media, to follow up on. The President, while addressing delegates through the media, was reported as telling delegates that “some of you talk Fishrot, but had we gone 20 years ago, many of you could have been in prison,” Venaani quoted Geingob as having said during the opening of the congress.
The Presidency’s spokesperson, Alfredo Hengari did not answer calls or text messages sent to him by the time of going to print as he was reportedly stuck in a meeting to resolve the Swapo congress central committee election.
Venaani asserts that since Geingob now has access to such information, he must be honest and identify the people he was alluding to. “How can a president of a country make such utterances without backing the talk. What the president is saying is that the ruling party has looked away for 20 years. People that were corrupt… people that he knows were corrupt.
“I want to invite the president to the party - not because you are the president of Swapo, but rather because you are the president of our republic - and I want you to walk the talk. Release the names of those who should be in prison,” Venaani said.
He asserted that if Geingob doesn’t divulge those names, he will inevitably prove what they have been asserting: that Swapo is a corrupt regime.
“The President cannot say something like that in public without being taken to task,” he stressed. He claimed to be able to tell when Geingob is serious and when he is joking, and that what he stated was not a joke. He also took the opportunity to congratulate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the recently elected vice president of Swapo, on her victory.
“I want to call on you, meme Netumbo Ndaitwah. I want to ask you to ask your president to bring those people he mention to book. This is not a joke; this is very serious for a country like ours that is vested with corruption for a president to make such a joke,” he said.
The ruling party over the weekend re-elected Nandi-Ndaitwah as the party’s vice president, putting her in line to become the country’s first female presidential candidate when the current leader steps down in March 2024.
During a prolonged party congress that was still lingering on by last night, Swapo delegates re-elect Nandi-Ndaitwah to lead alongside Sophia Shaningwa who was re-elected as the party secretary general and Uahekua Herunga who was elected to deputise Shaningwa.
Several former politicians, businessmen and lawyers stand accused of bribery and corruption for siphoning millions of dollars from state-owned company Fishcor, allegedly transferred fishing quotas from private companies to other companies in which the accused had interests.
Iceland’s largest fishing corporation Samherji allegedly paid millions in bribes to Swapo leaders for preferential access to Namibia’s rich fishing waters.
Former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau, former justice minister Sakeus Shanghala, former Fishcor board chairman James Hatuikulipi, ex-Fishcor CEO Mike Nghipunya, and five other senior officials or business executives will stand trial after their current bail hearings. A 10th suspect, lawyer Marén de Klerk, has been charged but fled to South Africa from where Namibia is trying to extradite him. All have denied guilt.
Caption: (Venaani)