Pray for Nandi-Ndaitwah – Shalli

Swapo central committee member Martin Shalli has called on party members and supporters to pray for Swapo’s presidential candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, as there are some who wish her bad.

Shalli was speaking at a Swapo campaign event at Onyaanya in the Oshikoto region on Saturday.

“May God be with our candidate comrade Netumbo. May He bless her. May the grace of God follow her everywhere she goes. Let’s all pray for her because there are those who are wishing her bad,” Shalli said.

Shalli urged party members and supporters to be united and have love for each other.

“Respect a person regardless of their status in society. Treat them equal before God and before the law,” he said.

Shalli said if Swapo is to lose power one day, it would be caused by voter apathy, as some party members do not participate in elections. He gave an example of a by-election in the Oshana region five years ago, where about 8 000 people registered to vote but only about 1 500 voted.

“Something is wrong. We could have lost easily,” Shalli said.

He encouraged all party members to vote in this year’s elections.

Shalli said Swapo supporters and members should give Nandi-Ndaitwah the “gift of her life” on 27 November.

Shalli also hit out at those claiming Swapo was given money by the United Nations (UN) meant for ex-combatants.

He asserted that Swapo does not owe anyone at the UN a cent.

“Don’t say it again. Stop that nonsense. Where did you hear that from? Were you part of the Swapo leadership? What was your role?

“Swapo doesn’t owe anyone a single cent. The UN is France, the United States of America and others. Maybe there is something you were doing for them. If that money comes now, some of us will not accept it. I will not accept money from America, I did not do anything for them,” he said.

Shalli’s comments come a month after another former People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (Plan) commander, Erastus Negonga, said there was no money given to Swapo by the UN for former Plan combatants.

Speaking at the same event, Swapo central committee and politburo member Sisa Namandje also called on people to register to vote.

He said the registration of voters is important because it can make or break the elections.

Namandje urged political parties not to provoke each other when canvassing for supporters.

“Our candidate is Mee Netumbo. Let’s give her 80% or 90% votes. Let’s vote for her.”

Namandje further said Namibians should preserve unity to avoid what happened in other countries, which he described as peaceful until after the ruling parties were voted out of the government, which caused disaster.