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Swapo slams media and 'disgruntled elements'
Swapo slams media and 'disgruntled elements'

Swapo slams media and 'disgruntled elements'

Staff Reporter
The ruling Swapo Party on Tuesday tore into sections of the media and what it called 'disgruntled elements' for attempting to whip up emotions against the former liberation movement ahead of national elections next month.

Party spokesperson Hilma Nicanor, in a sharply worded statement, alleged there are concerted efforts to ensure that the party and its presidential candidate, incumbent president Hage Geingob, get fewer votes in the November 27 elections.

Both Geingob and the party garnered a record number of votes in 2014, raking in 87% and 82% of the vote respectively.

Nicanor was responding to the backlash the party attracted after it paraded a convoy of luxury vehicles and motorcycles through parts of Windhoek, including the informal settlements of Hakahana and Ombili in Katutura, last weekend.





Dubbed the 'Swapo Colour Day', the parade evoked mixed emotions, with critics saying that showing off the luxury vehicles in impoverished settlements was in bad taste.

Nicanor said the media deliberately distorted and misinterpreted the event to make it appear as though the ruling party was taunting the city's less fortunate residents, when this was in fact to “entice the members, supporters and sympathisers” to get ready for the launch of the party election manifesto.

“It is very unfortunate that we have very unprofessional media reporters with principles of unethical and biased reporting, that regardless of the economic hardships our country is faced with, they are still opting to play with our people's emotions – all that in the pursuit of their agenda to try and destroy Swapo,” she said.

“Their dirty tactics of selectivity in reporting instead of giving the full picture of what has happened or was being said, speaks volumes on their lack of professionalism.”

Nicanor, the deputy minister for veterans' affairs, added: “We know that the aim of these elements is to cause a reduction in the number of seats that the party should get in the National Assembly, as well as the reduction of the number of votes for our presidential candidate.

“In fact, I must once again remind the Swapo Party enemies that Swapo remains the only party that has a programme to develop Namibia,” said Nicanor, who also doubles as Keetmanshoop Urban constituency councillor.

She said Swapo remains committed to the socioeconomic transformation of the country and the wellbeing of all Namibians.

“Further, Swapo is very much fully aware that Namibia remains among the most unequal societies in the world due to the deeply embedded structural nature of this problem. Henceforth the Swapo government continues to take steps aimed at addressing the challenges faced and to build a more inclusive society.”

Some Swapo members immediately took to social media, where they slammed Nicanor's statement as divisive and autocratic as it labels people who simply have a different view of the party's decision to hold the controversial parade.

“I am not disgruntled, but I should all the same be entitled to my dissimilar view regarding certain developments of my party for which I have done a great deal of work,” a member commented on Facebook.

“Your rebuke is immature, insensitive, pathetic, primitive and arrogance to say the least,” another user, a former member of the party's youth league, commented.



STAFF REPORTER

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Namibian Sun 2024-03-28

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Katima Mulilo: 19° | 37° Rundu: 17° | 33° Eenhana: 18° | 33° Oshakati: 20° | 31° Ruacana: 19° | 33° Tsumeb: 17° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 28° Omaruru: 18° | 31° Windhoek: 17° | 28° Gobabis: 17° | 28° Henties Bay: 16° | 19° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 10:54, High tide: 04:57, Low Tide: 22:58, High tide: 17:16 Swakopmund: 15° | 17° Wind speed: 29km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 10:52, High tide: 04:55, Low Tide: 22:56, High tide: 17:14 Walvis Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 33km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 10:52, High tide: 04:54, Low Tide: 22:56, High tide: 17:13 Rehoboth: 18° | 29° Mariental: 22° | 32° Keetmanshoop: 21° | 34° Aranos: 21° | 31° Lüderitz: 15° | 29° Ariamsvlei: 23° | 34° Oranjemund: 15° | 21° Luanda: 27° | 30° Gaborone: 20° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 24° Mbabane: 15° | 23° Maseru: 12° | 28° Antananarivo: 16° | 27° Lilongwe: 17° | 29° Maputo: 20° | 28° Windhoek: 17° | 28° Cape Town: 17° | 23° Durban: 21° | 25° Johannesburg: 18° | 28° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 18° | 30° Harare: 15° | 31° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.93 | EUR to NAD 20.5 | CNY to NAD 2.62 | USD to NAD 18.98 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.33 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.8 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 134.25 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 18.99 | USD to ZMW 24.97 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 73909.5 Up +0.41% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1516.02 Down -0.13% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 12981.98 Up +0.34% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 28224.37 Down -2.87% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 212.04/OZ UP +0.97% | Copper US$ 3.98/lb DOWN -0.0007 | Zinc US$ 2 449.90/T DOWN -0.27% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.11/BBP UP +0.84% | Platinum US$ 901.49/OZ UP +0.74% Sport results: Weather: Katima Mulilo: 19° | 37° Rundu: 17° | 33° Eenhana: 18° | 33° Oshakati: 20° | 31° Ruacana: 19° | 33° Tsumeb: 17° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 28° Omaruru: 18° | 31° Windhoek: 17° | 28° Gobabis: 17° | 28° Henties Bay: 16° | 19° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 10:54, High tide: 04:57, Low Tide: 22:58, High tide: 17:16 Swakopmund: 15° | 17° Wind speed: 29km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 10:52, High tide: 04:55, Low Tide: 22:56, High tide: 17:14 Walvis Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 33km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 10:52, High tide: 04:54, Low Tide: 22:56, High tide: 17:13 Rehoboth: 18° | 29° Mariental: 22° | 32° Keetmanshoop: 21° | 34° Aranos: 21° | 31° Lüderitz: 15° | 29° Ariamsvlei: 23° | 34° Oranjemund: 15° | 21° Luanda: 27° | 30° Gaborone: 20° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 24° Mbabane: 15° | 23° Maseru: 12° | 28° Antananarivo: 16° | 27° Lilongwe: 17° | 29° Maputo: 20° | 28° Windhoek: 17° | 28° Cape Town: 17° | 23° Durban: 21° | 25° Johannesburg: 18° | 28° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 18° | 30° Harare: 15° | 31° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.93 | EUR to NAD 20.5 | CNY to NAD 2.62 | USD to NAD 18.98 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.33 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.8 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 134.25 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 18.99 | USD to ZMW 24.97 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 73909.5 Up +0.41% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1516.02 Down -0.13% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 12981.98 Up +0.34% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 28224.37 Down -2.87% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 212.04/OZ UP +0.97% | Copper US$ 3.98/lb DOWN -0.0007 | Zinc US$ 2 449.90/T DOWN -0.27% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.11/BBP UP +0.84% | Platinum US$ 901.49/OZ UP +0.74%