ONGWEDIVA – The Swapo rank and file are made up of disciplined cadres, its deputy secretary general Uahekua Herunga has maintained.
He was responding to an incident wherein a Swapo member allegedly drove into a crowd of Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) supporters at Outapi over the weekend, injuring one of them.
The incident has been widely criticised, and has brought political violence in Namibia under the spotlight again.
Kavila Kautsima (73) was arrested on Sunday after injuring Risto Shekundja on Sunday.
Herunga said there is no evidence linking Kautsima to Swapo.
“We are still trying to find out whether he belongs to Swapo or not because we are not sure,” he said.
Omusati police commander Ismael Basson confirmed that Kautsima was charged with attempted murder.
He was granted bail of N$3 000 when he made his first appearance at Outapi Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
His case has been postponed to 17 September 2024 for further police investigations.
Basson narrated to New Era that the accused drove a white Toyota bakkie in the direction of a group of people, and caused them to flee.
In the process, the victim sustained injuries to his left knee.
The victim is a 47-year-old man from Ondudu village in the Okalongo constituency.
Discipline
In an exclusive interview with New Era yesterday, Herunga revealed that once they establish Kautsima’s membership, they will advise him not to repeat it.
“We will question him about why he was trying to interfere with the IPC rally because it’s wrong,” he said.
He stressed that Swapo is a ruling party, committed to ensuring peace at all times.
“We are all Namibians. People should campaign peacefully without fighting against each other,” he added.
Also speaking to our publication, IPC’s northern spokesperson Eino Heelu has called on the Electoral Commission of Namibia to fine any political party whose members are perpetrators of political violence.
He blamed ECN for failing to educate people on how they should behave during political rallies and campaigns.
“The accused has done something wrong, and it is a big embarrassment to the nation. Namibia is a democratic and peaceful country. We never experienced this before,” he said.
Heelu stated that IPC is striving to campaign in a good manner without harming people.
He also expressed his frustration over Swapo members allegedly erecting their flags on trees opposite their new office.
“Now, all the trees that are surrounding our new office are decorated with Swapo flags. This is not fair. Swapo leaders should educate their members to focus on what’s right,” he added.
(IPC)
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