Traffic police’s no-show ‘hijacks’ planned march at Ongwediva

A PLANNED march at Ongwediva yesterday in support of National Council Chairman Kandy Nehova was hijacked when traffic police officers, who were supposed to accompany the marchers, failed to turn up.

At the time of going to press, The Namibian had been unable to confirm the reason for their non-appearance or confirm if it was deliberate as some have alleged. On Tuesday night, Swapo Secretary for Publicity and Information Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah warned people not to march.The planned march would see Swapo members demonstrating against a Swapo leader and some of his supporters.Yesterday, members from various Swapo branches in the Ongwediva (Rural) constituency gathered at the maroela tree at Ongwediva and waited for hours in baking heat for the traffic police to arrive.Some said they had arrived at around nine in the morning and had waited until five in the afternoon.People came and went through the day.When The Namibian arrived at the scene around 80 people were still waiting for something to happen.They had applied for permission to march and had received approval.The traffic police were supposed to accompany them to the Oshana Regional Swapo headquarters at Kandjengedi in Oshakati.The protesters, mainly from rural areas around Ongwediva, wanted to present a petition to Swapo Regional Co-ordinator Erastus Uutoni to be sent to the Swapo headquarters in Windhoek and to the Minister of Regional, Local Government and Housing in Windhoek.They are demanding another district conference to nominate regional council candidates.They allege that voting at Friday’s conference was unfair because branches in the Ongwediva rural area were not allowed to vote for the candidate of their choice.Nehova was voted out after his supporters walked out of the meeting, disputing the legitimacy of some delegates.Those who remained claimed there was a quorum and went ahead with the voting.The incident was the latest in what is seen as a power struggle between Nehova and Uutoni.Ironically, Uutoni, who was voted out of the Ongwediva Town Council in May in free and fair elections, was re-instated after the intervention of the Swapo Politburo.Those who gathered at Ongwediva yesterday warned that if another district conference was not held they would boycott the November elections.Their unhappiness has been further fuelled by what they perceive as a snub by the traffic police.Some told The Namibian that Uutoni was alleged to have said that he would “shut the gates on them”, if they marched to the Oshana Swapo head office.”If that is the case, then we in rural Ongwediva are not going to vote, especially in the coming regional elections because we are [treated like] nothing and the party [Swapo] doesn’t care about us.It is doing with us as it likes,” one angry resident said.They said they supported Nehova because “he is our rural man” and not from Ongwediva town “where they do not know the suffering of people in the villages”.On Tuesday night, Swapo Secretary for Publicity and Information Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah warned people not to march.The planned march would see Swapo members demonstrating against a Swapo leader and some of his supporters.Yesterday, members from various Swapo branches in the Ongwediva (Rural) constituency gathered at the maroela tree at Ongwediva and waited for hours in baking heat for the traffic police to arrive.Some said they had arrived at around nine in the morning and had waited until five in the afternoon.People came and went through the day.When The Namibian arrived at the scene around 80 people were still waiting for something to happen.They had applied for permission to march and had received approval.The traffic police were supposed to accompany them to the Oshana Regional Swapo headquarters at Kandjengedi in Oshakati.The protesters, mainly from rural areas around Ongwediva, wanted to present a petition to Swapo Regional Co-ordinator Erastus Uutoni to be sent to the Swapo headquarters in Windhoek and to the Minister of Regional, Local Government and Housing in Windhoek.They are demanding another district conference to nominate regional council candidates.They allege that voting at Friday’s conference was unfair because branches in the Ongwediva rural area were not allowed to vote for the candidate of their choice.Nehova was voted out after his supporters walked out of the meeting, disputing the legitimacy of some delegates.Those who remained claimed there was a quorum and went ahead with the voting.The incident was the latest in what is seen as a power struggle between Nehova and Uutoni.Ironically, Uutoni, who was voted out of the Ongwediva Town Council in May in free and fair elections, was re-instated after the intervention of the Swapo Politburo.Those who gathered at Ongwediva yesterday warned that if another district conference was not held they would boycott the November elections.Their unhappiness has been further fuelled by what they perceive as a snub by the traffic police.Some told The Namibian that Uutoni was alleged to have said that he would “shut the gates on them”, if they marched to the Oshana Swapo head office.”If that is the case, then we in rural Ongwediva are not going to vote, especially in the coming regional elections because we are [treated like] nothing and the party [Swapo] doesn’t care about us.It is doing with us as it likes,” one angry resident said.They said they supported Nehova because “he is our rural man” and not from Ongwediva town “where they do not know the suffering of people in the villages”.