NEWLY elected Nudo secretary general Joseph Kauandenge says he is not apologetic over the fact that his party is seen as a party largely dominated by the Ovaherero people.
Kauandenge said he was “sick and tired of the hypocrisy” from general members of the public and the media that his party is a tribal party, because it was not.
He made these remarks at his first press conference as party secretary general after being elected at last week’s Nudo elective congress held in Windhoek.
During the event, Kauandenge, who delivered a statement on behalf of party president Esther Utjiua Muinjangue – the first woman political party president in Namibian history – said Nudo was a traditional party formed by the Ovahereroand belongs to the traditional chiefs, who should have a say on how it should be run.
He explained that the party owes its survival to the Ovaherero, who “are our support base”.
“We have not made it a secret that Nudo’s support base are the Ovaherero, and we are not going to apologise on that one. That is why Nudo has and will survive for many years to come,” he stressed.
Kauandenge said if his party was perceived as a tribal party, other political parties in the country such as the ruling party Swapo were more tribalist.
He added that this was substantiated by the disparities in the people appointed in positions of responsibility, such as ambassadors and Cabinet members.
“You are so focused in terming political parties like Nudo and others as tribalist, while the biggest tribalist [entity] is the ruling party. They are taking the Namibian people for a ride,” he charged.
He added that most political parties in the country were somehow maintained by their tribal lineages because the current politics were not issue-based.
“If it was not for the Awaambo, Swapo would not be in power,” he said.
When asked whether Nudo was cutting out other tribes for political support, Kauandenge said Nudo’s tribal base was merely for survival, but the party was open to every Namibian looking for a political home.
Kauandenge justified his claim by saying Ovaherero were not tribalist because they have also employed many people from other tribes at their farms.
“How can we be tribalists? How much money do we give them [farm workers]? And we have them at our houses in our respective ‘oresevate’ where we are. We are not tribalists, and we are saying everybody is welcome to this party, but there should be a base from where the party originates,” he said.
On issues to be targeted by the new Nudo leadership, Kauandenge promised that they will be relentless in addressing issues affecting the people without “fear or favour”.
He said Nudo will be stressing the issue of ancestral land, and would not accept being called tribalists when “we ask for our land back”.
He added that the party will also pay particular attention to pressing issues such as unemployment, education, the issue of restitution and reparation for communities affected by the genocide, and the formalisation of the ever-expanding informal settlements in urban areas, among other issues.
