Swapo has ‘betrayed the people’ - EFF

Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters party has accused Swapo of “betraying the people” by failing to deal with poverty and shantytowns in Namibia. The South African political party also slammed the political elite in Swapo and the ANC, whom it claims believe State coffers are their personal purses. Swapo has refused to comment, saying it is busy with more important things. In an in-depth interview with Namibian Sun yesterday after an EFF delegation attended the election manifesto launch of the NEFF in Katutura on Saturday, MP Andile Mngxitama said: “They (Swapo and ANC) are both neo-colonialists. They have both betrayed the call for total liberation of South Africans and Namibians.” Commenting on the NEFF’s anti-homosexual stance, the visiting politician said: “EFF South Africa is very clear. We are anti-homophobic. We stand for everybody to love whomever they want as long as they are adults.” He compared President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s N$180 million security upgrades to similar upgrades at South African President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla residence. “They (Pohamba and Zuma) are not held in check by any moral standard. They believe that the nation owes them. It must be seen in the context of a political elite that believes that the national wealth is their personal purse.” According to him Namibia is a rich country and has enough minerals to ensure that every Namibian can become a millionaire. EFF members of parliament Mngxitama and Magdalene Moonsamy were part of an EFF delegation led by national co-ordinator Mpo Ramakatsa. They were in the country at the invitation of the NEFF for its 2014 election manifesto launch. About 100 people showed up at the UN Plaza to witness the launch of the NEFF, a party which is a caricature of Malema’s party in terms of its colours, symbols and attire, including its trademark red berets. At the launch Mngxitama told of what he called “an ordeal” at Hosea Kutako International Airport where they were held for two hours and requested to provide visas before being allowed entry into Namibia. “The EFF is a threat to African governments in the form of former liberation movements. “Yesterday (Friday) we went to the Heroes’ Acre before the launch. The idea was to go and get inspiration from the people who died for the liberation of Namibia,” he said. According to him they were greeted by uniformed soldiers who denied them entry. “Swapo betrayed the sacrifices which these (fallen) warriors of Namibia have offered for the liberation of Namibia. “Swapo’s failure to transform Namibia in the past 24 years is also spitting in the faces of those who took up arms against colonialism. “For 24 years the land has not returned to the people. The land still belongs to the settlers. So in whose interest does Swapo rule?” According to him what happened at the airport and at the Heroes’ Acre is a sign that Swapo is panicking “because it has run out of ideas”. He said although they thank the generation of Sam Nujoma for achieving independence, the current status is a sign of the failure of that generation. However, Mngxitama believes that Swapo cannot complete the process of “decolonisation” of economic freedom. He further described the ANC and Swapo as a neo-colonial class of “comprador” and the middleman of global corporations. “They are the enemy of progress. They are the enemies of creating jobs for our people and industrialising bigger civilisations in our countries. They are totally irresponsible with the mandate to rule in the interest of the people. “They are both neo-colonialists, Swapo and ANC, they have both betrayed the call for total liberation of South Africans and Namibians.” In its manifesto the NEFF says it would nationalise the country’s mines, create sustainable jobs between 2015 and 2020, and increase pensions to N$1 200 per month, among many other promises. WINDHOEK ELVIS MURARANGANDA