Hamutenya not involved in April 1 fiasco: Naholo

THE Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) has denied the involvement of its presidential candidate in the ‘scandal of April 1 [1989]’ in which Swapo fighters clashed with South African forces on the eve of the implementation of Resolution 435.

The RDP’s National Executive Committee and Secretary of Economic Planning, Festus Naholo, said party President Hidipo Hamutenya ‘never participated’ in the plan to have Plan fighters infiltrate the country in contravention of the ceasefire agreement.’You are being told lies in this country… Propaganda is being spread in this country that Hamutenya commanded Plan combatants to come into the country and to cause the scandal and betrayal of the international community and our glorious course on April 1,’ Naholo told a large crowd of supporters at an RDP rally in Walvis Bay on Sunday.He said allegations of Hamutenya being ‘a killer’, and having participated in the Lubango dungeons scandal, were ‘propaganda’.’Hamutenya is feared because he is cleverer than the accusers. They are jealous,’ Naholo said. ‘Hamutenya and all the leaders of RDP never participated in the arrest and the killing of their own people and let them rot in the Lubango dungeons. We are not military people. Hamutenya is not a military man. He is a political scientist and a political leader. He never participated in the hate of his people.’He said Hamutenya was being blamed for the crimes of others.According to Naholo, while Swapo signed a ceasefire, ‘a civilian’ allegedly took it upon himself to command Plan armed forces to enter the country, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.’Hamutenya was not the commander in chief of Plan. He and all our military commanders; the Secretary of Defence, [Peter] Mweshihange, Dimo Hamaambo, Jesus Hawala, [Martin] Shali – they were advising ‘don’t send our troops to death’. We have started with the process of demobilisation. Let us not violate Resolution 435′,’ Naholo went on.The story about who commanded Plan forces to enter the country has been a well-guarded secret in Swapo, with the party claiming that Plan members had had bases in Namibia before the signing of the ceasefire agreement.In November 2005, former President Sam Nujoma put the blame on former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, South Africa and United Nations officials.Nujoma claimed that Thatcher sneaked into Namibia on March 31 1989 and held a secret meeting in which the decision to attack Plan fighters the following day was made.