On the election trail with Ben Ulenga of the CoD

VILLAGE OSHITYANI is an Oshiwambo word meaning deliberate – as in deliberately doing something that’s prohibited.

On Monday the Congress of Democrats president, Ben Ulenga, ventured into the “forbidden” Swapo heartland of northern Namibia to spread his message. His campaign trail ended at night in the Oshityani, a village 70 km east of Ondangwa or 10 km southwards from the highway off Onankali, where he encountered fierce rejection.But that was just another confirmation that Ulenga was not to have it easy during his November 8 electioneering.Ulenga and his CoD entourage of five set off from Oshakati after 13h30 headed eastwards into the Oshikoto Region.They were led by Vaino Elago Amuthenu, CoD’s only town councillor in the former Owambo – that is Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana and Oshikoto regions.Amuthenu’s vehicle was adorned with posters bearing Ulenga’s face.The CoD president’s station wagon had no visible campaign material until Amuthenu gave them a party flag to hoist through the sunroof so it made waves in the wind pressure on the road.About 20 km from Ondangwa at the cuca shops of Oniimbwele at 16H05 they stop.Herero folk music by The Wild Doggs blasting from a drinking hole, Ulenga steps on to the ground.He is wearing a broad brimmed black hat, a long-sleeve black shirt, a black leather undercoat, black trousers and black shoes.It was perhaps an omen of a black day for Ulenga and his party as resistance and hostility lay in wait.His strides cautiously towards two men sitting outside the cuca shop.He greets them and they answer back.He hands them the CoD election manifesto pamphlet.They accept and begin to skim through.A woman comes out of the cuca shop and sits next to them.”Beni okwa resigner ndishi? (Ben resigned [from CoD] isn’t it?” she asks, upon hearing that the group were CoD members campaigning.He is right here, say the men, pointing at Ulenga.”Take this meme,” Ulenga offers her a CoD pamphlet.”I can’t read,” she replies with a chuckle, both exchanging a chat in Oshiwambo.This is Kaarina Ihuhua and she is in her 20s.She began to read aloud from the pamphlet in the hands of Amunyela Amunyela who appears to be 40 years old.Ihuhua later tells The Namibian she did not want CoD material “because it will confuse my head.To read their material will turn my head around.I want to know about Swapo only.”But Amunyela says an array of political parties are needed for checks and balances.He does not want “ondiipangela” [for one party to do whatever it wishes].At the next stop of Onathinge CoD’s arrival is greeted with shouts of “down Ben Ulenga.Viva Swapo” and an impromptu toyi-toyi.Two men storm the reporter in an attempt to prevent him from taking a picture.They grab the camera and shove Ulenga aside as the CoD leader futilely tried to explain to the drunk men that the journalist was merely reporting.”Give us the film,” demands an aggressive man in blue overalls, holding onto the lace of the digital camera, and aiming a fist at the reporter.Yet while that commotion unfolds, Amuthenu is dishing out Ulenga’s campaign t-shirts at request, unhindered.Those taking them seem oblivious to demands and threats to kick CoD off their territory.”Don’t come back here,” shouts the man in overalls.Ulenga’s arrival at the cuca shops invariably changes the mood from passive to one of animation.At Onankali, about 50 km from Ondangwa, the popular Herero folk music abruptly stops to give way to liberation songs amid isolated cries of “Aluta!, Viva Swapo” and clenched fists.But there are CoD members in the mix and they jump into the vehicles with their leaders after the party’s main organiser Hilalulwa Thomas Tobias insisted they needed to “make a statement” at Oshityani.The day before at Oshityani, says Johannes Matti, senior Swapo leaders told him to tear up the CoD t-shirt if he did not want to get into trouble with the authorities.He refused.CoD vehicles had barely come to a halt at about 18h00 at the cuca shops of Oshityani when a crowd converged as if by gravitational force.Dominated by middle-aged women, they sang and shouted “down CoD, down Ulenga”.A stand-off ensued.Swapo supporters marched closer to the equally rowdy CoD crowd like Chihuahua baring its teeth but doing nothing else.”As long as they don’t beat up people …,” says Ulenga while quietly urging his supporters to stand their ground.Thobias says many youths in his village want to join CoD but “they are always threatened”.But more than threats, Ulenga says, potential CoD supporters find it difficult to deal with ostracisation in the heart of Swapo.They abandon Oshityani to go deeper to other villages.The hostile reception gets quieter but no open arms for Ulenga.It was encore Oshityani on the way back.CoD supporters from the Oniihandhila area, numbering about 10 were to remain behind here.So Swapo demonstrators got into another demonstration.Another stand-off and neither supporters would let up.”Itatu zipo mpaka, ope hala lyetu.Itatu thigipo o CoD.[We will not leave CoD in our place],” says one woman pushing the Swapo flag into the CoD crowd.Having travelled 20km into the hinderland and encountering Swapo support en masse, a handful CoD followers, and none of the other parties to speak, Ulenga says he still sees opportunity.”There are few eye openers.I think there has been some penetration into a real Swapo stronghold.I am not saying we are taking over, but even were we are in small numbers we are standing our own.It is Swapo which is panicking.”I’m positive that our support has increased,” says Ulenga, who earlier pointed out that they deliberately chose a difficult area for The Namibian to observe.His campaign trail ended at night in the Oshityani, a village 70 km east of Ondangwa or 10 km southwards from the highway off Onankali, where he encountered fierce rejection.But that was just another confirmation that Ulenga was not to have it easy during his November 8 electioneering.Ulenga and his CoD entourage of five set off from Oshakati after 13h30 headed eastwards into the Oshikoto Region.They were led by Vaino Elago Amuthenu, CoD’s only town councillor in the former Owambo – that is Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana and Oshikoto regions.Amuthenu’s vehicle was adorned with posters bearing Ulenga’s face.The CoD president’s station wagon had no visible campaign material until Amuthenu gave them a party flag to hoist through the sunroof so it made waves in the wind pressure on the road.About 20 km from Ondangwa at the cuca shops of Oniimbwele at 16H05 they stop.Herero folk music by The Wild Doggs blasting from a drinking hole, Ulenga steps on to the ground.He is wearing a broad brimmed black hat, a long-sleeve black shirt, a black leather undercoat, black trousers and black shoes.It was perhaps an omen of a black day for Ulenga and his party as resistance and hostility lay in wait.His strides cautiously towards two men sitting outside the cuca shop.He greets them and they answer back.He hands them the CoD election manifesto pamphlet.They accept and begin to skim through.A woman comes out of the cuca shop and sits next to them.”Beni okwa resigner ndishi? (Ben resigned [from CoD] isn’t it?” she asks, upon hearing that the group were CoD members campaigning.He is right here, say the men, pointing at Ulenga.”Take this meme,” Ulenga offers her a CoD pamphlet.”I can’t read,” she replies with a chuckle, both exchanging a chat in Oshiwambo.This is Kaarina Ihuhua and she is in her 20s.She began to read aloud from the pamphlet in the hands of Amunyela Amunyela who appears to be 40 years old.Ihuhua later tells The Namibian she did not want CoD material “because it will confuse my head.To read their material will turn my head around.I want to know about Swapo only.”But Amunyela says an array of political parties are needed for checks and balances.He does not want “ondiipangela” [for one party to do whatever it wishes].At the next stop of Onathinge CoD’s arrival is greeted with shouts of “down Ben Ulenga.Viva Swapo” and an impromptu toyi-toyi.Two men storm the reporter in an attempt to prevent him from taking a picture.They grab the camera and shove Ulenga aside as the CoD leader futilely tried to explain to the drunk men that the journalist was merely reporting.”Give us the film,” demands an aggressive man in blue overalls, holding onto the lace of the digital camera, and aiming a fist at the reporter.Yet while that commotion unfolds, Amuthenu is dishing out Ulenga’s campaign t-shirts at request, unhindered.Those taking them seem oblivious to demands and threats to kick CoD off their territory.”Don’t come back here,” shouts the man in overalls.Ulenga’s arrival at the cuca shops invariably changes the mood from passive to one of animation.At Onankali, about 50 km from Ondangwa, the popular Herero folk music abruptly stops to give way to liberation songs amid isolated cries of “Aluta!, Viva Swapo” and clenched fists.But there are CoD members in the mix and they jump into the vehicles with their leaders after the party’s main organiser Hilalulwa Thomas Tobias insisted they needed to “make a statement” at Oshityani.The day before at Oshityani, says Johannes Matti, senior Swapo leaders told him to tear up the CoD t-shirt if he did not want to get into trouble with the authorities.He refused.CoD vehicles had barely come to a halt at about 18h00 at the cuca shops of Oshityani when a crowd converged as if by gravitational force.Dominated by middle-aged women, they sang and shouted “down CoD, down Ulenga”.A stand-off ensued.Swapo supporters marched closer to the equally rowdy CoD crowd like Chihuahua baring its teeth but doing nothing else.”As long as they don’t beat up people …,” says Ulenga while quietly urging his supporters to stand their ground.Thobias says many youths in his village want to join CoD but “they are always threatened”.But more than threats, Ulenga says, potential CoD supporters find it difficult to deal with ostracisation in the heart of Swapo.They abandon Oshityani to go deeper to other villages.The hostile reception gets quieter but no open arms for Ulenga.It was encore Oshityani on the way back.CoD supporters from the Oniihandhila area, numbering about 10 were to remain behind here.So Swapo demonstrators got into another demonstration.Another stand-off and neither supporters would let up.”Itatu zipo mpaka, ope hala lyetu.Itatu thigipo o CoD.[We will not leave CoD in our place],” says one woman pushing the Swapo flag into the CoD crowd.Having travelled 20km into the hinderland and encountering Swapo support en masse, a handful CoD followers, and none of the other parties to speak, Ulenga says he still sees opportunity.”There are few eye openers.I think there has been some penetration into a real Swapo stronghold.I am not saying we are taking over, but even were we are in small numbers we are standing our own.It is Swapo which is panicking.”I’m positive that our support has increased,” says Ulenga, who earlier pointed out that they deliberately chose a difficult area for The Namibian to observe.