Media serving 'imperialist agenda'

The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) secretary Ephraim Nekongo has lashed out at “unethical journalists” and editors, who he claims belong to “anti-Swapo WhatsApp groups”. While dealing with a Chinese company being handed the N$730 million tender to build the Swapo headquarters, Nekongo said: “The tender was awarded in a transparent open bid process to a Chinese company. Perhaps the media should provide the public with material facts that Namibian companies submitted bids, qualified and yet were eliminated. For sure, not a single media will produce such facts, therefore this is purely another conspiracy against the party and her leadership by our local journalists fulfilling the imperialist agenda (sic),” he stressed.During a press conference on Tuesday, Nekongo said it is sad that there are “unethical and politically-centred journalists who connive with anti-Swapo formations” to distort facts about the ruling party. He also cautioned comrades to be cautious and vigilant in order to avoid those journalists who have their knives out for the party's top leaders.“We must remember that once leadership are destroyed, the party too by default is destroyed, therefore we all must rally behind our leaders (sic),” he urged. Nekongo is particularly disturbed by journalists who “are painting a dark colour”. “We thought by now we know that many journalists and their many respective media houses have declared themselves our enemy and they have made it their daily bread to tarnish our name, both the party and her leaders. They apparently see nothing positive we are doing, they apparently see nothing good in our leaders, and perhaps that is the focus of their judgments and businesses,” Nekongo said.When Namibian Sun contacted Nekongo for clarity on his unethical journalism statements, he simply said: “I have said what I said.” Heart of the matter Nekongo's outbursts follow news articles about the party's decisions to award a N$730 million tender to a Chinese company.This is at a time when the local construction industry is bleeding. Swapo has also been criticised for prioritising the construction of its party headquarters while the country is struggling with a devastating drought. Nekongo defended the ruling party's decision to build the headquarters, claiming that it is “overdue”.The Namibian recently reported that the N$730 million contract for renovating the party's headquarters in Windhoek had been awarded to Unik Construction Engineering.Nekongo justified the construction of the building, saying both the founding president Sam Nujoma and his successor Hifikepunye Pohamba promoted the construction of a new and modern party headquarters. Bärbel Kirchner, the consulting general manager of the Construction Industries Federation (CIF) of Namibia, told Namibian Sun last month that the requirements for the Swapo headquarters' tender were too big a financial risk for local contractors in the current economic environment.According to Kirchner, the first payments would have been delayed and the contractor would have had limited control over interest claims for late payments or non-payment. “This is not a risk that local companies under the current economic conditions can take, especially as they are already struggling financially. It might be wise to find ways to withdraw this tender award,” said Kirchner.JEMIMA BEUKES

Media serving 'imperialist agenda'

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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Media serving 'imperialist agenda'

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-07

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