Report political violence to cops: PM

POLITICAL violence should be reported promptly to the Police, Prime Nahas Angula advised in Parliament yesterday.

He was responding to a question from DTA leader Philemon Moongo, who asked him how further acts of violence and intimidation could be prevented in north-central Namibia after last weekend saw tensions boil over at Omuthiya and nearby areas. Several acts of intimidation against RDP members and supporters, as well as destruction and damage to their property, were reported by members of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP).In some cases charges were laid.Residents of the newly proclaimed Omuthiya town will on Friday elect seven town councillors.”If as alleged such incidents happened, they should be reported to the Police with all the details and they will investigate,” Angula said.Two women in the Okongo area were allegedly attacked by Swapo supporters for wearing RDP T-shirts last weekend.At a Swapo rally held at Omuthiya on Saturday, local Swapo co-ordinator Armas Amukwiyu urged Swapo members not to give water to RDP members and not to buy from their shops.Later, Justice Minister and Attorney General Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, who also doubles as Swapo Secretary General, denied that Amukwiyu had said it in this way.Yesterday morning she complained on the popular NBC phone-in programme ‘Chat Show’ that this reporter allegedly got it wrong, because Amukwiyu words were allegedly “wrongly translated” to the reporter.Iivula-Ithana on Tuesday also claimed to this reporter personally that the “translation was not good”.But the translator and several other people who were present at the rally phoned The Namibian after the ‘Chat Show’ and confirmed Amukwiyu’s statements.Several acts of intimidation against RDP members and supporters, as well as destruction and damage to their property, were reported by members of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP).In some cases charges were laid. Residents of the newly proclaimed Omuthiya town will on Friday elect seven town councillors.”If as alleged such incidents happened, they should be reported to the Police with all the details and they will investigate,” Angula said.Two women in the Okongo area were allegedly attacked by Swapo supporters for wearing RDP T-shirts last weekend.At a Swapo rally held at Omuthiya on Saturday, local Swapo co-ordinator Armas Amukwiyu urged Swapo members not to give water to RDP members and not to buy from their shops.Later, Justice Minister and Attorney General Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, who also doubles as Swapo Secretary General, denied that Amukwiyu had said it in this way.Yesterday morning she complained on the popular NBC phone-in programme ‘Chat Show’ that this reporter allegedly got it wrong, because Amukwiyu words were allegedly “wrongly translated” to the reporter.Iivula-Ithana on Tuesday also claimed to this reporter personally that the “translation was not good”.But the translator and several other people who were present at the rally phoned The Namibian after the ‘Chat Show’ and confirmed Amukwiyu’s statements.