Keetmanshoop
Businesspeople, individuals and various institutions pledged about N$200 400 to the Swapo Party Women Council (SWPC) at a gala dinner held at Keetmanshoop on Saturday.
Organised by the //Karas regional SPWC chapter, the gala dinner was aimed at raising funds for the SPWC’s national congress, scheduled for December.
The event was graced by Namibian First Lady Monica Geingos and did not disappoint, as a large number of people turned up. Geingos led by example by being the first to pledge N$10 000 on behalf of her family. //Karas Regional Governor Lucia Basson pledged an equal amount.
Local company Henima Investment pledged the biggest amount on the night, a massive N$70 000, while Rosh Pinah Zinc Mine’s engagement manager, Kondja Kaulinge, pledged the highest amount from an individual: N$25 000.
Speaking at the event, Geingos touched on various topical issues, ranging from corruption, the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP), alcohol and drug abuse, gender-based violence, tribalism and also shared her personal life journey with the attentive audience.
She underscored the importance of the HPP, saying every Namibian should own it and make it work, while stressing that the HPP is not just a political concept. It should start at home in order to ensure no one is left behind, she said.
She further said President Hage Geingob is serious about bringing prosperity to Namibia and thus Namibians should never think that he is trying to score cheap political points when he preaches about zero tolerance of corruption in the country.
She maintained that Geingob means business when he says he will not tolerate corruption, adding that it has been a bumpy ride for the first couple, as family and friends keep knocking on their doors for all kinds of favours. “We’re losing family and friends because of this,” she said.
Geingos further spoke about the social evils affecting Namibia on a daily basis, stating that gender-based violence, alcohol and drug abuse and other evils have no colour as they affect all people, irrespective of colour and race.
She called on parents to provide a support system for their children, to help and guide them to make the right decisions, indicating that often young people are blamed for alcohol abuse, without looking at how their elders contribute to that.
“Are we giving them the opportunities and tools to succeed?” she asked and called on Namibians to unite and pull in the same direction, saying Namibia’s population is so small that there is no reason not to be united.