Swapo dismisses disunity claims

THE Swapo Party has, once again, declared that it is fully behind President Hifikepunye Pohamba.

The party’s leaders yesterday also stated that they are united and looking forward to the presidential and general elections in November this year.
Deputy Secretary General Nangolo Mbumba called a media briefing yesterday to dispel rumours that the top leadership of the party, including the Vice President Hage Geingob and Secretary General Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, had boycotted the recent rally addressed by Pohamba in the Ohangwena Region.
‘Nobody was being funny here. There was no sense of boycott. The party is made up of members. We don’t have to have every national leader there to make it a meeting,’ Mbumba said.
It is the second time in almost two months that Swapo has called the media to a press conference to declare that it is behind Pohamba.
Mbumba’s statement was prompted by allegations that the Ohangwena rally was jointly organised by State House officials and the Governor of the Ohangwena Region, Usko Nghaamwa, instead of the Swapo head office.
Mbumba said it was true that the meeting was organised by Nghaamwa because it was a regional meeting.
Pohamba addressed the meeting because he could not leave without greeting them, Mbumba said, although he also confirmed that the President spoke for around three hours and gave a detailed report of Government activities over the past year.
Those who attended the rally had said that it was like a State of the Nation address.
Among those who did not attend the meeting and were pointed out as such were the likes of Jerry Ekandjo, Abraham Iyambo, Elijah Ngurare and Erkki Nghimtina, who was also on the programme.
Mbumba said allegations of a boycott were ‘just a figment of the RDP’s [Rally for Democracy and Progress’s] fertile and hopeless imagination’.
‘All leaders listed are Swapo and consider the Swapo party as their political home. Why should one boycott your own house?’ he said.
He said Swapo would be like an unstoppable tsunami come the November elections. – christof@namibian.com.na