Radio caller claims death threats

A REGULAR caller on the NBC’s call-in radio programmes, Denys Nandjigwa (62), claims that he has received death threats from Swapo Party members.

Nandjigwa says he has laid criminal charges against two well-known Swapo members, Elim ELCIN Pastor Wilibard Shikesho and Erastus Iilonga, also known as Kenyata. Police Deputy Commissioner Josef Anghuwo con?rmed that the Police were investigating the charges.When approached, Pastor Shikesho and Iilonga both denied the allegations and said they did not know about the criminal charges, since the Police had not yet spoken to them.Nandjigwa told The Namibian that Shikesho and Iilonga arrived at his shop at Elim, about 25 kilometres west of Oshakati, on April 7.According to Nandjigwa, who is also known as ‘Caller from Omusati’ or ‘Voice of the Voiceless’, the two warned him to stop participating in the programmes ‘Open Line’ and ‘Ewi lya manguluka’, or face “heavy consequences”.Nandjigwa said they told him that he would be “eliminated”.”They told me that I will not know who will abduct me or kill me, as they will use sophisticated tactics, such as shooting me while driving my car, or coming to my shop, buying beer and shooting me.”He said they warned him to avoid the same fate suffered by Barnard Shevanyenga, the chairman of The Age of March (Tagoma), who was killed by unknown people in his cuca shop at Oshikuku in October 2003.Nandjigwa said he started having problems with Swapo after a meeting held by Deputy Labour and Social Welfare Minister Petrus Iilonga at Elim on Independence Day this year.Nandjigwa said Iilonga started reading President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s Independence Day speech, but then deviated from it and made his own comments.”Iilonga was campaigning,” Nandjigwa said.After the meeting Nandjigwa went on air and criticised Iilonga for not sticking to the President’s prepared speech.When approached for comment, Pastor Shikesho told The Namibian that Nandjigwa had called him to his shop on April 7 to discuss the matter with him.Shikesho said he merely warned Nandjigwa to be careful about what he said on radio, as many people were unhappy with the way he was criticising political leaders.”This was not the ?rst warning to Nandjigwa, many people from Elim, including his sisters and brothers, have always warned him about his attacking of leaders in the talk show programmes,” Pastor Shikesho said.”I am a religious man, and I have the right to go to Nandjigwa, one of my parish members, to tell him things that are right and also to warn him about things that might be a danger to himself or others … and that is what I was trying to do with Nandjigwa in this case,” the pastor said.Erastus Iilonga shared the pastor’s sentiments: “Nandjigwa has been my friend all the way and he has always approached me when he wanted to raise an issue of public concern on NBC radio talk shows before going on air.Nandjigwa has to tell people who has told him all those unfounded allegations he is making now.”The National Society for Human Right (NSHR) says it is “very alarmed” about the alleged death threats and has called on the Police to investigate the charges thoroughly.Police Deputy Commissioner Josef Anghuwo con?rmed that the Police were investigating the charges.When approached, Pastor Shikesho and Iilonga both denied the allegations and said they did not know about the criminal charges, since the Police had not yet spoken to them.Nandjigwa told The Namibian that Shikesho and Iilonga arrived at his shop at Elim, about 25 kilometres west of Oshakati, on April 7.According to Nandjigwa, who is also known as ‘Caller from Omusati’ or ‘Voice of the Voiceless’, the two warned him to stop participating in the programmes ‘Open Line’ and ‘Ewi lya manguluka’, or face “heavy consequences”.Nandjigwa said they told him that he would be “eliminated”.”They told me that I will not know who will abduct me or kill me, as they will use sophisticated tactics, such as shooting me while driving my car, or coming to my shop, buying beer and shooting me.”He said they warned him to avoid the same fate suffered by Barnard Shevanyenga, the chairman of The Age of March (Tagoma), who was killed by unknown people in his cuca shop at Oshikuku in October 2003.Nandjigwa said he started having problems with Swapo after a meeting held by Deputy Labour and Social Welfare Minister Petrus Iilonga at Elim on Independence Day this year.Nandjigwa said Iilonga started reading President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s Independence Day speech, but then deviated from it and made his own comments.”Iilonga was campaigning,” Nandjigwa said.After the meeting Nandjigwa went on air and criticised Iilonga for not sticking to the President’s prepared speech.When approached for comment, Pastor Shikesho told The Namibian that Nandjigwa had called him to his shop on April 7 to discuss the matter with him.Shikesho said he merely warned Nandjigwa to be careful about what he said on radio, as many people were unhappy with the way he was criticising political leaders.”This was not the ?rst warning to Nandjigwa, many people from Elim, including his sisters and brothers, have always warned him about his attacking of leaders in the talk show programmes,” Pastor Shikesho said.”I am a religious man, and I have the right to go to Nandjigwa, one of my parish members, to tell him things that are right and also to warn him about things that might be a danger to himself or others … and that is what I was trying to do with Nandjigwa in this case,” the pastor said.Erastus Iilonga shared the pastor’s sentiments: “Nandjigwa has been my friend all the way and he has always approached me when he wanted to raise an issue of public concern on NBC radio talk shows before going on air.Nandjigwa has to tell people who has told him all those unfounded allegations he is making now.”The National Society for Human Right (NSHR) says it is “very alarmed” about the alleged death threats and has called on the Police to investigate the charges thoroughly.