Slanderous e-mails spawn suspicion in Swapo ranks

SWAPO’S top leadership is at odds over a series of e-mails vilifying axed foreign affairs minister Hidipo Hamutenya, his prominent supporters and other senior party leaders who have condemned the anonymous attacks.

Vice President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s effort to rally the party’s Politburo against the divisive e-mails were shot down at its last meeting, held two weeks ago, people in the top echelons of the ruling party have told The Namibian. At that Politburo meeting, Attorney General Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana asked why her comrades were eager to act against anonymous attacks now after, for instance, ignoring similar dirty tricks in the past against former prime minister Hage Geingob.Pohamba, who was chairing the Politburo meeting, reportedly promptly let the issue fizzle out, sources said.The Politburo constitutes the party’s top hierarchy.Iivula-Ithana declined to comment about what was discussed at the meeting.However, she gave her opinion on the e-mails, describing the socalled concerns as “hypocritical”.When asked whether the Politburo had adopted a stand on the e-mails, Secretary General Ngarikutuke Tjiriange said in an interview that “no resolution has been taken on how to handle the letter writing”.Besides, he said: “I don’t think it is worthwhile to do that because you are just going to give credence to things that don’t need to be given credence.”Tjiriange added that Swapo leaders “are experienced in this kind of onslaught” from people who tried to break them apart, as Andreas Shipanga and Mishake Muyongo had attempted to… He denied that there was division in the party.The latest e-mails, which began after the Swapo special congress that elected Pohamba as the party’s presidential candidate for the November elections, appear to have caused a major rift and substantial damage within the party.The Namibian understands that such was the concern that Pohamba at some point assured Hamutenya that he was not among people trying to push the former minister to the edge.At a meeting involving the two, Hamutenya reportedly pointed out that Pohamba had remained quiet about the vilification campaign.The presidential aspirant then began to publicly criticise the anonymous e-mails.Neither Pohamba nor Hamutenya could be reached for comment yesterday.The e-mails contain what could amount to conspiracy theories, fantasies and lies.However, they are laced with the odd fact connecting people and places.At least three e-mails targeting Hamutenya have been sent out so far.The first two purported to be a systematic exposé on the long-serving former minister who has been reduced to a backbencher in the National Assembly.The latest e-mail abandons any pretence of sophistication.It hurls crude insults at Tjiriange, Deputy Minister of Higher Education Hadino Hishongwa and Swapo Women’s Council Eunice Ipinge and also takes issue with Swapo Youth League Secretary Paulus Kapia, all of whom have criticised the anonymous writer.Some senior Swapo leaders claim that the latest e-mail contained an argument reputed to be similar to Iivula-Ithana’s remark that former Prime Minister Geingob had not been defended in the past.Iivula-Ithana said in an interview on Friday that she was generally against the anonymous e-mails because she considered “values of honesty and fair play dear to my heart”.Without referring to the Politburo meeting, Iivula-Ithana said she believed that “if I have something against a comrade it is best to discuss it in-house.It is wrong to go out there on the basis of anonymity and destroy people.”However, she added that “the letter-writing started some time ago.I have consistently attacked this trend and I was a lonely voice in the desert.”Now that this disease is becoming chronic, people are apparently becoming concerned.Let us not be hypocritical.”Iivula-Ithana said she liked to “call a spade, a spade” and had long called for anonymous attacks to be “nipped in the bud”.Tjiriange said the Politburo had left it to individual Swapo leaders to publicly raise their “concerns about this”.He was adamant that Swapo members had nothing to do with the e-mails, because they would ordinarily raise their complaints through “party structures”.Tjiriange said the anonymous notes, widely sent electronically to diverse people, were timed to derail the party from the work at hand and give the impression that Swapo was imploding.At that Politburo meeting, Attorney General Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana asked why her comrades were eager to act against anonymous attacks now after, for instance, ignoring similar dirty tricks in the past against former prime minister Hage Geingob.Pohamba, who was chairing the Politburo meeting, reportedly promptly let the issue fizzle out, sources said.The Politburo constitutes the party’s top hierarchy.Iivula-Ithana declined to comment about what was discussed at the meeting.However, she gave her opinion on the e-mails, describing the socalled concerns as “hypocritical”.When asked whether the Politburo had adopted a stand on the e-mails, Secretary General Ngarikutuke Tjiriange said in an interview that “no resolution has been taken on how to handle the letter writing”.Besides, he said: “I don’t think it is worthwhile to do that because you are just going to give credence to things that don’t need to be given credence.”Tjiriange added that Swapo leaders “are experienced in this kind of onslaught” from people who tried to break them apart, as Andreas Shipanga and Mishake Muyongo had attempted to… He denied that there was division in the party.The latest e-mails, which began after the Swapo special congress that elected Pohamba as the party’s presidential candidate for the November elections, appear to have caused a major rift and substantial damage within the party.The Namibian understands that such was the concern that Pohamba at some point assured Hamutenya that he was not among people trying to push the former minister to the edge.At a meeting involving the two, Hamutenya reportedly pointed out that Pohamba had remained quiet about the vilification campaign.The presidential aspirant then began to publicly criticise the anonymous e-mails.Neither Pohamba nor Hamutenya could be reached for comment yesterday.The e-mails contain what could amount to conspiracy theories, fantasies and lies.However, they are laced with the odd fact connecting people and places.At least three e-mails targeting Hamutenya have been sent out so far.The first two purported to be a systematic exposé on the long-serving former minister who has been reduced to a backbencher in the National Assembly.The latest e-mail abandons any pretence of sophistication.It hurls crude insults at Tjiriange, Deputy Minister of Higher Education Hadino Hishongwa and Swapo Women’s Council Eunice Ipinge and also takes issue with Swapo Youth League Secretary Paulus Kapia, all of whom have criticised the anonymous writer.Some senior Swapo leaders claim that the latest e-mail contained an argument reputed to be similar to Iivula-Ithana’s remark that former Prime Minister Geingob had not been defended in the past.Iivula-Ithana said in an interview on Friday that she was generally against the anonymous e-mails because she considered “values of honesty and fair play dear to my heart”.Without referring to the Politburo meeting, Iivula-Ithana said she believed that “if I have something against a comrade it is best to discuss it in-house.It is wrong to go out there on the basis of anonymity and destroy people.”However, she added that “the letter-writing started some time ago.I have consistently attacked this trend and I was a lonely voice in the desert.”Now that this disease is becoming chronic, people are apparently becoming concerned.Let us not be hypocritical.”Iivula-Ithana said she liked to “call a spade, a spade” and had long called for anonymous attacks to be “nipped in the bud”.Tjiriange said the Politburo had left it to individual Swapo leaders to publicly raise their “concerns about this”.He was adamant that Swapo members had nothing to do with the e-mails, because they would ordinarily raise their complaints through “party structures”.Tjiriange said the anonymous notes, widely sent electronically to diverse people, were timed to derail the party from the work at hand and give the impression that Swapo was imploding.