Kapia lashes out at media

THE country’s main private media concerns came under fire by Swapo yesterday for allegedly being “reactionary and unpatriotic” and “meddling” in the affairs of Southern African countries.

Secretary-General of the Swapo Youth League, Paulus Kapia, took a swipe at The Namibian, “Media Democratic Holdings” (Democratic Media Holdings) and the Windhoek Observer at a press conference in Windhoek yesterday, claiming that they along with South Africa “are in the same hat with the international West”. Kapia singled out the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Germany as using “white-owned” media in Namibia to “rubbish our President”.”We have established that the white-owned media outlets have been given sizeable resources to demonise, cause confusion and plant seeds of division within the Swapo Party,” Kapia claimed.Kapia lambasted the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) “founded by the likes of Gwen Lister” (the editor of The Namibian) for reportedly being backed by “alien foundations from the international West”.He called on the Government to investigate the conduct of these media and to immediately institute regulatory mechanisms.Touching on a wide-range of issues mostly with regard to alleged attempts by foreigners to “meddle” in the affairs of Southern African states, Kapia also took aim at the opposition Congress of Democrats whom he termed “nothing but hand picked puppets of the West”.He claimed the party had the same motives as the Zimbabwean opposition party the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), to advance western interests and said the parties were in support of instability in African countries.”Cockroaches like the CoD simply have no future in any society and Namibia is no exception,” Kapia said.The youth leader further alleged that some black people were being used by white businessmen to “suffocate the economic development of the country”.He said certain “rude, fascist and arrogant” businessmen were using their contacts with “other fascists in South Africa” to interfere in the political affairs of Swapo.Kapia said a commission of inquiry had to be established to examine the procedures for awarding major tenders to curb self-enrichment and corruption.The SPYL further urged Government to expropriate without compensation, the farm in the Outjo area where a man was shot and killed by farmers earlier this year, after allegedly being mistaken for a baboon.Kapia went a step further to plead with Government to “deport the racist criminals to Europe.””The lives of Africans must count for something, and this is the time for our Government to demonstrate, with seriousness, such fact,” he contended.The SPYL reminded the media that it is the “militant and revolutionary foot soldiers of the Swapo Party” and were ready “to carry out any order to war.”Kapia singled out the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Germany as using “white-owned” media in Namibia to “rubbish our President”.”We have established that the white-owned media outlets have been given sizeable resources to demonise, cause confusion and plant seeds of division within the Swapo Party,” Kapia claimed.Kapia lambasted the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) “founded by the likes of Gwen Lister” (the editor of The Namibian) for reportedly being backed by “alien foundations from the international West”.He called on the Government to investigate the conduct of these media and to immediately institute regulatory mechanisms.Touching on a wide-range of issues mostly with regard to alleged attempts by foreigners to “meddle” in the affairs of Southern African states, Kapia also took aim at the opposition Congress of Democrats whom he termed “nothing but hand picked puppets of the West”.He claimed the party had the same motives as the Zimbabwean opposition party the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), to advance western interests and said the parties were in support of instability in African countries.”Cockroaches like the CoD simply have no future in any society and Namibia is no exception,” Kapia said.The youth leader further alleged that some black people were being used by white businessmen to “suffocate the economic development of the country”.He said certain “rude, fascist and arrogant” businessmen were using their contacts with “other fascists in South Africa” to interfere in the political affairs of Swapo.Kapia said a commission of inquiry had to be established to examine the procedures for awarding major tenders to curb self-enrichment and corruption.The SPYL further urged Government to expropriate without compensation, the farm in the Outjo area where a man was shot and killed by farmers earlier this year, after allegedly being mistaken for a baboon.Kapia went a step further to plead with Government to “deport the racist criminals to Europe.””The lives of Africans must count for something, and this is the time for our Government to demonstrate, with seriousness, such fact,” he contended.The SPYL reminded the media that it is the “militant and revolutionary foot soldiers of the Swapo Party” and were ready “to carry out any order to war.”