I'm not a flip-flopper – KK
24 February 2021 | Politics
STAFF REPORTER
WINDHOEK
Former youth minister Kazenambo Kazenambo says the fact that he called for a non-Omuwambo president prior to the 2012 Swapo elective congress, but did not back President Hage Geingob's bid to become party president in 2017, did not make him a political flip-flopper.
In fact, says Kazenambo, he did not necessarily have Geingob in mind when he called for Swapo to field a non-Omuwambo as its presidential candidate, contrary to popular belief.
Geingob became the first non-Oshiwambo-speaking president of Swapo at the 2017 congress. By then, he was already Namibia's president after he had been elected as vice-president of the party at the 2012 congress, where Kazenambo was one of his fierce supporters.
For the 2017 congress Kazenambo was part of the
'Team Swapo' campaign, whose candidates for party president – Nahas Angula and Jerry Ekandjo – are Oshiwambo speakers. Appearing on Namibian Sun's 'The Evening Review' talk show on Monday, Kazenambo was asked why he did not back the only non-Omuwambo candidate [Geingob] when the opportunity to do so came in 2017. “When you're dealing with a guerrilla fighter, don't always expect him to emerge in the usual colour you know,” he said.
“I hear people saying when I called for a [non-Omuwambo] president I was rooting for Geingob. Where did I mention Geingob's name?
“Geingob was one of those non-Omuwambo [presidential candidates] at that congress [2012] and I backed him. But if I backed him it doesn't mean that even if he was going to kill people, I would join him in killing the people.
“It didn't mean that when I backed him, and he goes on to violate the Swapo constitution, I should join him in violating the constitution.
“I will say I backed this gentleman but now he is drifting away from Swapo principles and was a guerrilla, I'll manoeuvre my way from the violator of the Swapo constitution,” the former Swapo central committee member said.
WINDHOEK
Former youth minister Kazenambo Kazenambo says the fact that he called for a non-Omuwambo president prior to the 2012 Swapo elective congress, but did not back President Hage Geingob's bid to become party president in 2017, did not make him a political flip-flopper.
In fact, says Kazenambo, he did not necessarily have Geingob in mind when he called for Swapo to field a non-Omuwambo as its presidential candidate, contrary to popular belief.
Geingob became the first non-Oshiwambo-speaking president of Swapo at the 2017 congress. By then, he was already Namibia's president after he had been elected as vice-president of the party at the 2012 congress, where Kazenambo was one of his fierce supporters.
For the 2017 congress Kazenambo was part of the
'Team Swapo' campaign, whose candidates for party president – Nahas Angula and Jerry Ekandjo – are Oshiwambo speakers. Appearing on Namibian Sun's 'The Evening Review' talk show on Monday, Kazenambo was asked why he did not back the only non-Omuwambo candidate [Geingob] when the opportunity to do so came in 2017. “When you're dealing with a guerrilla fighter, don't always expect him to emerge in the usual colour you know,” he said.
“I hear people saying when I called for a [non-Omuwambo] president I was rooting for Geingob. Where did I mention Geingob's name?
“Geingob was one of those non-Omuwambo [presidential candidates] at that congress [2012] and I backed him. But if I backed him it doesn't mean that even if he was going to kill people, I would join him in killing the people.
“It didn't mean that when I backed him, and he goes on to violate the Swapo constitution, I should join him in violating the constitution.
“I will say I backed this gentleman but now he is drifting away from Swapo principles and was a guerrilla, I'll manoeuvre my way from the violator of the Swapo constitution,” the former Swapo central committee member said.
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