Kapia attacks Hidipo Hamutenya and opposition leaders
Swapo member and former deputy works minister Paulus Kapia, who carries a fraud conviction for which he was fined N$60 000, has launched a stinging attack on opposition leaders Panduleni Itula and Job Amupanda, while also taking a swipe at the late liberation stalwart Hidipo Hamutenya for once defecting from the ruling party.
Speaking during a Swapo mini rally at Oniipa last Saturday, Kapia accused opposition parties of misleading Namibians, claiming many who had defected have since returned to Swapo. He also targeted Augustus Jafet, Oniipa’s former mayor who was expelled from Swapo after allegedly planning to stand as an independent candidate in next month’s regional elections.
In a widely circulated video, Kapia dismissed the influence of breakaway movements and opposition parties, saying Swapo remains the only political force capable of delivering on its promises.
“Who remembers the RDP? They promised that people would have taps in their houses running with cooking oil. We beat them in 2009, and those promises never became reality. We [Swapo] don’t promise what we can’t deliver,” he said.
He also mocked the late Hamutenya’s leadership of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), implying that his decision to leave Swapo was misguided.
“At the time, he spoke of building a canal from Ruacana to Zambezi. I asked him, ‘Child, are you sick?’ He later came back to Swapo, and when he died, we buried him at Heroes Acre,” Kapia said, shaking his head.
Turning his attention to Amupanda, Kapia said the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader had “confused the youth” by turning what was meant to be a movement into a political party.
“Now people are coming back to Swapo. What a pity. We are the ones who educated him — through universities that Swapo built,” he said.
Kapia also criticised Itula, Swapo’s former independent presidential challenger, accusing him of hypocrisy.
“He says, ‘Namibia is the only country we have,’ but he went to live in Britain in the 1980s. Now he wants to confuse the masses,” Kapia said.
‘A convicted fraudster’
Responding to Kapia’s remarks, AR spokesperson George Kambala described him as a “convicted fraudster” who has no moral standing to lecture others on politics.
“He is a liar and a convicted fraudster who should stick to playing amagoesa in the mbashus. He’s only trying to impress the new Swapo leadership,” Kambala told Namibian Sun.
Kapia was among those convicted in the Social Security Commission’s Avid investment fraud, in which N$30 million meant for public investment was misappropriated.
‘Old tactics’
Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah said Kapia’s remarks came as no surprise, describing his style as typical of his days leading the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL).
“That’s his way of politicking — attacking personalities rather than engaging on issues. He was known for that during his SPYL days,” Kamwanyah said.
He warned that personal attacks are unlikely to sway voters.
“Politicians should rather demonstrate what solutions they have for the electorate. It’s concerning that the ruling party still allows figures like Kapia, with tainted pasts, to represent its campaign when it has credible members available,” he added.
Kapia, who told the crowd that “Swapo does not promise what it cannot deliver”, has himself faced criticism for his role in the high-profile Avid case - a scandal that continues to shadow his stuttering political career.
— [email protected]
Speaking during a Swapo mini rally at Oniipa last Saturday, Kapia accused opposition parties of misleading Namibians, claiming many who had defected have since returned to Swapo. He also targeted Augustus Jafet, Oniipa’s former mayor who was expelled from Swapo after allegedly planning to stand as an independent candidate in next month’s regional elections.
In a widely circulated video, Kapia dismissed the influence of breakaway movements and opposition parties, saying Swapo remains the only political force capable of delivering on its promises.
“Who remembers the RDP? They promised that people would have taps in their houses running with cooking oil. We beat them in 2009, and those promises never became reality. We [Swapo] don’t promise what we can’t deliver,” he said.
He also mocked the late Hamutenya’s leadership of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), implying that his decision to leave Swapo was misguided.
“At the time, he spoke of building a canal from Ruacana to Zambezi. I asked him, ‘Child, are you sick?’ He later came back to Swapo, and when he died, we buried him at Heroes Acre,” Kapia said, shaking his head.
Turning his attention to Amupanda, Kapia said the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader had “confused the youth” by turning what was meant to be a movement into a political party.
“Now people are coming back to Swapo. What a pity. We are the ones who educated him — through universities that Swapo built,” he said.
Kapia also criticised Itula, Swapo’s former independent presidential challenger, accusing him of hypocrisy.
“He says, ‘Namibia is the only country we have,’ but he went to live in Britain in the 1980s. Now he wants to confuse the masses,” Kapia said.
‘A convicted fraudster’
Responding to Kapia’s remarks, AR spokesperson George Kambala described him as a “convicted fraudster” who has no moral standing to lecture others on politics.
“He is a liar and a convicted fraudster who should stick to playing amagoesa in the mbashus. He’s only trying to impress the new Swapo leadership,” Kambala told Namibian Sun.
Kapia was among those convicted in the Social Security Commission’s Avid investment fraud, in which N$30 million meant for public investment was misappropriated.
‘Old tactics’
Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah said Kapia’s remarks came as no surprise, describing his style as typical of his days leading the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL).
“That’s his way of politicking — attacking personalities rather than engaging on issues. He was known for that during his SPYL days,” Kamwanyah said.
He warned that personal attacks are unlikely to sway voters.
“Politicians should rather demonstrate what solutions they have for the electorate. It’s concerning that the ruling party still allows figures like Kapia, with tainted pasts, to represent its campaign when it has credible members available,” he added.
Kapia, who told the crowd that “Swapo does not promise what it cannot deliver”, has himself faced criticism for his role in the high-profile Avid case - a scandal that continues to shadow his stuttering political career.
— [email protected]
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article