Nudo accused of election violence

THE Nudo party is being blamed for spurring campaign violence after the car of a Swapo member was allegedly damaged.

Ephraim Tjingaete claimed he was driving along Clemence Kapuuo Street in Katutura on Sunday on his way back from a Swapo Party rally, when a young Nudo member reached into his car, grabbed his Swapo flag and broke the mast in half.The Nudo party had just finished holding a rally close to its headquarters on that street, and Tjingaete says he was driving very slowly because of bumper-to-bumper traffic.Nudo leaders restored the peace and Tjingaete eventually got his flag back but he said when he got home he found that the back windscreen of his bakkie’s canopy and the lens of a brake light had been shattered. He opened a case with the Police, who are investigating the matter.Teofilus Uahongora, the Nudo party’s administrative secretary, who helped to prevent a fight from breaking out when tempers flared on Sunday, said he was unable to comment yesterday as he was in a meeting at the time. The Secretary General of the party, Ussiel Tjienda, who also quelled tensions on Sunday, was out of town, and could also not be reached for comment.Tjingaete – a former Governor and DTA Regional Councillor for the Omaheke Region – said he believes the attack on his car was spurred by his joining the Swapo Party.’We came from a difficult time, and now the country is independent. We got this independence peacefully though the ballot paper, and it is time that party leaders convince their supporters that they have to accept that everyone has a right to enjoy the party of his or her choice, without any intimidation,’ Tjingaete said.nangula@namibian.com.na