Political analyst Joseph Diescho has accused vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of allowing Fishrot-tainted individuals to speak at her election campaigns.
“Yet she expects people to believe things will be different when she is elected president. This is a lack of sincerity and honesty. Lest we forget that power does not change people,” Diescho said yesterday.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is also Swapo’s presidential candidate, did not respond to a text message sent to her yesterday.
However, she earlier asked what The Namibian “wants from her”.
“Do I exist? The Namibian has become a paper I can no longer read, because every time your headlines are anti-Netumbo.
“What do you want to do with me? It’s bad. I don’t know what I’ve done,” she said.
Swapo deputy secretary general Uahekua Herunga has, however, defended the involvement of individuals linked to the Fishrot corruption scandal in the party’s campaign, saying they remain innocent until proven guilty.
“They are only accused and they are not found guilty,” Herunga said on Monday.
The Fishrot case implicates individuals such as lawyer Sisa Namandje, Ndilimani band manager Jesse Nombanza, deputy minister Veikko Nekundi, Swapo Party Youth League secretary Ephraim Nekongo and Swapo’s Oshikoto regional coordinator Armas Amukwiyu.
Although these individuals have not been charged with any criminal offence, there have been concerns over them being keynote speakers at Nandi-Ndaitwah’s rallies.
‘DEEPLY IMPLICATED’
Self-exiled political analyst Diescho, who was seen at a Swapo rally a few months ago, was mainly irked by Namandje’s address in Kavango East region.
“This right here is what is hurting Swapo and its leadership,” the academic said in a WhatsApp message.
To Diescho, Namandje and other Fishrot accused should not be near Nandi-Ndaiwath’s campaigns.
“Lawyer Namandje, by his own account, was the Fishrot paymaster and account holder. He is deeply implicated in the corruption that is keeping two Cabinet ministers in prison for five years this month,” he said.
Diescho added: “This can surely not help madam Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s campaign to be elected as president of a country where people are angry about corruption.
“This is the sort of ruling party arrogance and insensitivity that caused the ANC in South Africa and the Botswana Democratic Party to be humiliated in recent elections.”
He said if Namibia had a “muscular” law society, Namandje would have been barred from practising law for a couple of years.
“He is neck-deep in the Fishrot shame,” Diescho claimed.
Nandi-Ndaitwah has visited Iceland to convince its prosecution authorities to sanction the extradition of Icelandic fishing giant Samherji’s bosses.
However, party insiders are concerned that she has failed to distance herself from Fishrot-accused individuals.
“If everyone is campaigning for her in the whole country, should she stand up and say look, don’t campaign for me?
Is that what you expect?” Herunga asked on Monday.
He said no law in the country prevents an accused person from campaigning for their political party.
Former prime minister Nahas Angula earlier this week said: “If it is proven that they received money and Swapo is using them for a campaign, the voters will find out. It depends on the voters.
“When the voters find out that in fact some of these people are implicated in the Fishrot scandal, they will decide whether what Mee Netumbo is saying is correct or not.”
Former minister of works and transport Sankwasa James Sankwasa says it is not “well placed” to have implicated individuals leading Nandi-Ndaitwah’s campaign.
However, he says as citizens with rights they are allowed to campaign.
“The difference will come in how the masses will view and judge such individuals,” Sankwasa says.
Amukwiyu yesterday said he has no time to respond to those saying he should not have been part of Swapo’s campaigns.
“Shame on them,” he said.
A trail of payments from a bank account controlled by Amukwiyu reveals that he and businessman Vaino Nghipondoka seemingly benefited from N$15 million that was allegedly stolen from the state-owned National Fishing Corporation of Namibia (Fishcor).
It is alleged that Nekundi received N$20 000 in September 2017.
At the time, he was the Swapo Party Youth League’s secretary.
Nombanza’s vehicle loan settlement of N$443 000 is also linked to the scandal.
He was listed as one of the speakers at a Swapo rally in the Ohangwena region, while Nekundi has been campaigning for Swapo and Nandi-Ndaitwah in the //Kharas and Kavango regions.
Namandje recently addressed Swapo rallies at Oshikoto, Rundu and Ondangwa.
His firm, Sisa Namandje & Co, received N$17,5 million from Fischor between 2015 and 2017.
Part of the money was processed through Namandje’s law firm trust account, allegedly meant to fund Swapo’s “2017 congress activities”.
Namandje was not reachable for comment yesterday.
Political analyst Rui Tyitende says without the possibility of corruption, people will not join Swapo.
“However, it must be pointed out that there are individuals with integrity within Swapo, but they are the minority,” he says.
Tyitende says no amount of noise must distract Namibians from one important truth – that there is no political appetite to tackle corruption because of the political rewards it generates for the governing elite and business class.
The Fishrot case involves former fisheries minister Bernhardt Esau, ex-justice minister Sacky Shanghala, James Hatuikulipi, Tamson Hatuikulipi, Pius Mwatelulo and Ricardo Gustavo.
Others are former Fishcor chief executive Mike Nghipunya, Otniel Shuudifonya and Philip Mwapopi.
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