Politicians have slammed the Office of the President for failing to hold minister of urban and rural development James Sankwasa accountable for his ‘xenophobic’ attacks on a journalist.
In a Namibian Broadcasting Corporation video clip, Sankwasa says: “I looked at the article . . . Individual accounts are not for the public.
“But why did it become public? Because of RedForce. RedForce is owned by a Zimbabwean. The writer of the article, Tafirenyika, is a Zimbabwean.
We have not appreciated that Namibia has allowed them to stay here.”
After drawing criticism from organisations such as the Editors’ Forum of Namibia and the Namibia Media Professionals Union, Presidency spokesperson Jonas Mbambo said the Office of the President acknowledges the incident and remains committed to media freedom, freedom of expression, and an inclusive and respectful environment for all journalists.
“The matter . . . falls within the responsibility of the relevant line ministry and its communication channels,” he said this week.
The urban and rural development ministry is yet to pronounce itself on the matter, and Sankwasa has not responded to questions.
Mbambo, however, says “responsible journalism must be guided by professional ethics, including due regard for privacy, accuracy, and the context in which information is obtained and shared”.
Independent Patriots for Change shadow minister of international relations Rodney Cloete yesterday slammed the Presidency’s response as disappointing as it does not condemn the minister’s remarks.
“It is disappointing that the Presidency does not have an expressed opinion on the matter,” he said.
Cloete said xenophobic remarks are unacceptable from anyone, but “indefensible” coming from a minister.
“The minister must stop with the rhetoric and xenophobic statements and focus on the job at hand,” he said.
Former parliamentarian Dudu Murorwa this week said xenophobic remarks should never be allowed in a democratic country like Namibia.
He believes the Presidency should have taken a firmer stance in condemning the remarks.
“From a legislature point of view it is wrong, and as Namibians, you wouldn’t want such remarks being thrown at you.
We must be careful because you never know what the other country may do,” Murorwa cautioned.
Political analyst Sakaria Johannes agrees that the Presidency should have condemned the minister’s remarks.
“Why are they being diplomatic when they are not supposed to?” he asks.
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