Zambezi: Swapo takes on Hengari
Zambezi: Swapo takes on Hengari

Zambezi: Swapo takes on Hengari

Kenya Kambowe
KENYA KAMBOWE



RUNDU

The Swapo regional leadership in the Zambezi Region has demanded an apology from presidential press secretary Alfredo Hengari over remarks he made recently that protests held across the country against the killing of Namibians by the Botswana army were “pointless and misplaced”.

Hengari made the remarks after the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) killed three Namibian men and their Zambian cousin along the Chobe River on 5 November.

The press secretary said it was “pointless” to have these demonstrations when President Hage Geingob is already seized with the matter. He said the demonstrations were nothing but political.

‘Insensitive and inconsiderate’

On Friday, the Zambezi leadership of Swapo held a press conference at which they demanded that Hengari apologises to the nation, particularly to the people of the region, for his comments.

His utterances were deemed insensitive and inconsiderate, given the office he serves.

“We therefore in solidarity with the victims of the cruel and criminal act by the BDF demand that the press secretary in the Office of the President unequivocally withdraws his reckless statement and apologises to the nation and the residents of the Zambezi Region in particular,” Swapo regional coordinator for Zambezi, Moffat Sileze, said.

“We feel that his statement was insensitive and inconsiderate towards the situation based on little to no information. It was his duty to calm the situation by assuring the nation that the matter is receiving the utmost from the presidency, as it deserved.”

Unapologetic

Hengari told Namibian Sun on Saturday that the nation should stop pointing fingers.

“What transpired on 5 November 2020 was tragic for the Nchindo family and the Namibian nation at large.

“We should leave polemics and finger-pointing behind us and allow our two governments to complete the investigations into the killings,” Hengari said.

The senseless killings

The four fishermen who were gunned down by the BDF are three brothers, Tommy, Martin and Wamunyima Nchindo, as well as their cousin, Sinvula Muyeme, a Zambian national.

The motive behind the killings is still unclear, with allegations that the men were poachers making the rounds.

Relatives and close friends of the deceased, however, have described the men as fishermen who were well respected in their community.

The Nchindo brothers were buried on 17 November at Kamabozu village on the Impalila Island in Zambezi along with their mother, Alphonsina Mubu, who died on 10 November, allegedly from shock.

Last week, Namibian Sun reported that, according to family member Pasco Sibuko, who went to Botswana to repatriate the men’s bodies, five bullets were retrieved from Martin’s body, while the other three were each shot twice, mostly aimed near the heart.

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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$ 2 198.29/OZ UP +0.34% | Copper US$ 3.97/lb DOWN -0.0031 | Zinc US$ 2 440.90/T DOWN -0.64% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 86.57/BBP UP +0.21% | Platinum US$ 895.17/OZ UP +0.03% 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 24 | EUR to NAD 20.57 | CNY to NAD 2.64 | USD to NAD 19.1 | 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 134.49 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.29 | USD to KES 131.48 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 19.1 | 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$ 2 198.29/OZ UP +0.34% | Copper US$ 3.97/lb DOWN -0.0031 | Zinc US$ 2 440.90/T DOWN -0.64% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 86.57/BBP UP +0.21% | Platinum US$ 895.17/OZ UP +0.03%