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Namibia: Ekandjo Refutes RDP Claims
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New Era (Windhoek)
13 May 2008
Posted to the web 13 May 2008
Kuvee Kangueehi
Windhoek
The Swapo Party secretary for information and mobilisation, Jerry Ekandjo, says the Swapo Party is not responsible for the emotionally charged confrontation between members of the Swapo Party and Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) on Saturday in Windhoek.
Speaking to New Era yesterday, Ekandjo said the confrontation, which almost sparked political violence was a spontaneous reaction from the people at the scene.
Ekandjo strongly disputed claims by the RDP acting secretary for the Khomas Region, Jeremiah Nambinga, that the Swapo Party Khomas regional coordinator Michael Mwinga caused the confrontation by allegedly instigating the Swapo Party members to disrupt the RDP meeting.
He said in fact, Mwinga defused the situation by urging his party members to be calm as the confrontation was not a planned action by the Swapo Party.
Ekandjo, who is also the Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development said Mwinga told him that when the confrontation started, he was attending a municipal meeting in the Moses Garoeb Constituency and had to rush to Tobias Hainyeko Constituency to attend to the matter.
The minister added that Mwinga also informed him that the people reacted in that manner because some of the RDP members organising the meeting said it was a municipal meeting. They became angry when they discovered that the so-called municipal meeting was a ruse and instead it was an RDP meeting.
"The chaos started when people realised that the meeting was not a municipal meeting but an RDP meeting."
Ekandjo said he is not concerned about the allegations by the RDP against his party and said it is nothing new to the Swapo Party.
"The Swapo Party is used to allegations. In the past, they used to say Swapo is a terrorist party and the Plan fighters were eating grass. We do not have to respond if someone barks."
Mwinga, who is at the centre of the controversy said the RDP is responsible for the confrontation and the new party "sparked the self-intimidation".
Addressing a press conference in the capital yesterday, Mwinga said RDP field workers are the biggest culprits in the whole fracas as they invited the community under the pretext that the gathering was a municipal meeting.
He noted that since public meetings do not have the order on attire, the community happened to put on the attire of their choice. As a result, some of them put on the Swapo Party attire in the form of scarves, T-shirts and caps.
Mwinga said it is a shame that the RDP could not tell the police why there was such confusion. " They only stood idle in the street and let the police wash their dirty linen".
"Let RDP learn how to tell the truth and not to live on false and manipulation statements."
He added that the RDP should be answerable for what happened on Saturday. It is not the duty of the Swapo Party or its leadership to answer for what happened.
He also denied that he instigated the people and said he only came to calm the party members who were involved in the fall out with RDP members.
On why he was wearing a scarf and using a loudspeaker, Mwinga said he borrowed the scarf from a party member at the scene so that the community could identify him.
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On the issue of the Swapo Party flag, which was hoisted and then removed, Mwinga said all those actions were not directed by anybody. It was the people who acted.
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