Whites were ‘killers’: Ekandjo

WHITE Namibians were “killers” for 106 years – until March 20 1990, Local and Regional Government Minister Jerry Ekandjo said in Parliament yesterday.

Responding to questions from Jurie Viljoen of the MAG opposition party, who asked if it was true that – according to newspaper reports – he told a Swapo Party rally at Eenhana recently that Namibians should not trust “whites and boers in the country, because they were killers”, Ekandjo was only too happy to reply. Beaming from ear to ear, he recalled the heroic actions of Namibians during the liberation struggle and early fighters like Chiefs Samuel Maharero and Hendrik Witbooi.Ekandjo, who spoke off the cuff, even brought half a dozen history books into the Chamber to show photos of yesteryear depicting colonial cruelties.According to Ekandjo, Namibia would today have had a population of 20 million had the German colonial powers not eliminated “60 per cent of the population between 1884 and 1915″ and had the white minority apartheid regime of South Africa not ruled Namibia from 1919 until March 20 1990.”There was no development all the 106 years from 1884 to March 1990 and the Swapo Government in the past 18 years has brought more development than the German and apartheid South African government together,” the Minister charged, earning strong cheers and applause from the Swapo benches.He did not address Viljoen’s question.The MAG MP then rose and told the House it was “a pity, Minister Ekandjo did not answer my question.Unfortunately, the Minister abused this moment for propaganda.When I tabled the question, I also asked if Minister Ekandjo could inform us if the whites in Namibia were the killers.”Ekandjo replied that “until 1990 they were killers for instance in Koevoet (special police unit)”.”I am a (white) Namibian and not a killer,” Viljoen stated.”Don’t believe those propaganda newspapers [which reported on the Eenhana Swapo rally],” Ekandjo then quipped.”I said [at Eenhana] the German colonial regime and South Africa’s minority white apartheid killed,” Ekandjo maintained.Beaming from ear to ear, he recalled the heroic actions of Namibians during the liberation struggle and early fighters like Chiefs Samuel Maharero and Hendrik Witbooi.Ekandjo, who spoke off the cuff, even brought half a dozen history books into the Chamber to show photos of yesteryear depicting colonial cruelties.According to Ekandjo, Namibia would today have had a population of 20 million had the German colonial powers not eliminated “60 per cent of the population between 1884 and 1915″ and had the white minority apartheid regime of South Africa not ruled Namibia from 1919 until March 20 1990.”There was no development all the 106 years from 1884 to March 1990 and the Swapo Government in the past 18 years has brought more development than the German and apartheid South African government together,” the Minister charged, earning strong cheers and applause from the Swapo benches.He did not address Viljoen’s question.The MAG MP then rose and told the House it was “a pity, Minister Ekandjo did not answer my question.Unfortunately, the Minister abused this moment for propaganda.When I tabled the question, I also asked if Minister Ekandjo could inform us if the whites in Namibia were the killers.”Ekandjo replied that “until 1990 they were killers for instance in Koevoet (special police unit)”.”I am a (white) Namibian and not a killer,” Viljoen stated.”Don’t believe those propaganda newspapers [which reported on the Eenhana Swapo rally],” Ekandjo then quipped.”I said [at Eenhana] the German colonial regime and South Africa’s minority white apartheid killed,” Ekandjo maintained.