In circumstances that are not yet absolutely clear, the former Defence Minister is said to have fired a shot or shots when he suspected his nephew had joined the opposition Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP).

Yet most in public office approached for comment on the subsequent rebuke to the said Minister by President Hifikepunye Pohamba, and the resultant resignation, were ducking and diving and refusing to acknowledge that anything had happened at all.

This was not helpful to accurate reporting on the matter.

EVERYONE knew that there'd been repercussions for the Minister after his 'ballistic' action! Because it had been publicly reported, the Police were rightly interested in the incident and wanted to get the Minister's side of the story.

(Presumably they had got the version of his nephew already).

I say 'quite rightly' because the Police are tasked with maintenance of law and order, and must be seen to be fair and impartial when it comes to keeping the peace between Swapo and RDP, and not siding politically with one or the other party.

The sequence of events roughly seems to be that President Pohamba, in the presence of other senior Government/Swapo hierarchy, rebuked the Minister for his action (and the latter is said to have maintained he simply 'fired shots in the air' and did not take aim at his nephew!) and that was thought to be the end of the subject until someone forgot to inform the Police.

They in turn called to interview the Minister, who immediately took umbrage, possibly thought he was about to be arrested, and submitted his resignation (which he is later said to have withdrawn) in a fit of pique! When the media went after the story, which was the talk of the town in both Swapo and RDP ranks, officialdom at State House and elsewhere claimed they knew nothing.

This was not helpful at all regarding the reportage of the issue, and although the media got the substance right, the sequence of events that unfolded thereafter may have been slightly out of kilter.

Simply because those directly involved pretended nothing had happened at all and expected the media to play their part in burying the incident from public view, they are to blame for not being truthful.

So too, the President, unfortunately, who on his return from the Mwanawasa funeral in Zambia looked uncomfortable as he pleaded ignorance of the whole matter to NBC TV.

Just a short statement on the matter would have been helpful, not only to the media, but also to the general public who have a right to know what's going on in senior echelons of power.

We are aware that the whole matter was embarrassing to the ruling party.

Why? Because it doesn't reflect well to have a former military man wielding a gun and taking pot-shots.

Nghimtina is also a key Swapo leader in Ohangwena and they surely can't afford to lose him given his clout in that area.

It also gave grist to the RDP mill, a fact Swapo did not like at all.

President Pohamba was absolutely correct to take the Minister to task.

He also had the full right to do so as Head of State and leader of Swapo.

But there are various agendas at work within Swapo itself, and those in particular who are annoyed with the President for doing what he did.

Had he stood his ground and publicly acknowledged the incident, he could have defused the critics - even those in his own party - and come out of the whole matter looking decisive and in charge of things.

Unfortunately things haven't worked out that way - the President looks out of sorts - but Swapo have themselves to blame.

Perhaps they should have left him to do what is surely a presidential prerogative to do.

He does, after all, appoint his own Ministers.

Apparently the nephew has not laid criminal charges, which may be just as well for Swapo, for the law would then have had to take its course against the Minister and it would not have been right for either the President or Swapo to interfere.

This is, in any case surely not the first, or the last, incident of this kind unless we get a grip on this senseless political feuding between legitimate political parties and allow each and every one to go his or her own way.

I had hoped the President was going to be absolutely inflexible on this issue and say that he will not tolerate these kinds of arbitrary actions from anyone in his Government or party.

But he has, unfortunately, 'wavered', although I believe his intentions were initially good in calling Minister Nghimtina to order.

But he does not, apparently, have the support of all of his party.

And this in turn will have the unfortunate effect of not bringing the internecine fighting to an end.

That is the priority, rather than to blame the media when Government as a whole and several key Ministers were economical with the truth.

And that is the saddest part of all!

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