RDP Leaders Dismissed as Failures

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By William Mbangula

Oshakati

A Swapo official says Hidipo Hamutenya’s and Jesaya Nyamu’s defection to the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) came as a relief to Swapo members and supporters, because the duo were allegedly troublemakers in the ruling party.

Swapo Party Coordinator in Oshana Region and Mayor of Ongwediva, Erastus Uutoni, said this at a public rally held in Oshakati Saturday.

Uutoni lashed out at RDP members who were previously top leaders of Swapo, such as Hamutenya, Nyamu, Kandy Nehova, the former Councillor for Ongwediva and Chairman of the National Council.

“Kandy Nehova is a failed politician who could not initiate any development in Ongwediva, including even a kindergarten in his own constituency. What has he done, nothing at all? All he did was to travel around all over the country in government cars with a bunch of bodyguards.

“He was even trying to undermine the Swapo party by putting up his own structures in and around Ongwediva,” Uutoni told the packed meeting at the Swapo regional headquarters.

The meeting was billed as an information-sharing and gathering meeting and will be the last before the end the year, and before the Swapo Congress due to start November 27.

According to Uutoni, Hamutenya and Alfred Kashume are failed politicians who have run Swapo and public institutions into the ground because of their incompetence. Hamutenya and Nyamu were former ministers and members of the Politburo and Central Committee of Swapo, but have now formed the RDP citing lack of vision in the ruling party.

Hamutenya failed to win the contest for the presidency of the country during the Swapo congress in 2004.

“If there is anything wrong in Swapo, you should advise the party in a constructive and responsible manner but not run away like those cowards who now find themselves somewhere outside Swapo.”

Uutoni said all the development activities currently visible in Namibia were brought about by the Swapo-led government and not by its detractors like Phil Ya Nangoloh of the National Society of Human Rights (NSHR), who always attacked the government and the Founding President Dr Sam Nujoma.

Speaking at the same occasion, Governor of Oshana Region Clemens Kashuupulwa urged the community to work with the government in order to address challenges facing the region such as HIV/Aids, unemployment, crime and poor access to educational facilities.

He highlighted development activities in the region, including the construction of offices in all 10 constituencies, with the ones in Okaku and Okatana the only ones still needing building.

There was also the N$54-million High Court branch in Oshakati, the construction of a new technical institution (school of excellence) between Ondangwa and Okaku, funded by the Millennium Challenge Account.

A new secondary school at Eheke would open its doors to the public next year, plus the building of the Eheke-Ompundja road and the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) regional headquarters at Ondangwa.

In addition a new police station was built at Ongwediva, as well as a Natis office and the building of an Agrofood centre for N$4 million in Oshakati.

With regard to the decentralisation of government functions, the Governor told the crowd that most government institutions are now under the umbrella of Oshana Regional Council such as education, water and rural water supply.

He also announced that most of the community water points would be re-opened for people to have access to clean water.