Emirates ambassador denies calling Nandi-Ndaitwah ‘old’

United Arab Emirates ambassador to Namibia Mahash Al Hameli has denied claims that he said vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was an old politician who sleeps during international conferences.

Landless People’s Movement (LPM) president Bernadus Swartbooi, during a recent campaign gathering at Schlip, alleged that Al Hameli made these remarks to him in Pretoria, South Africa, two years ago.

At the time. Nandi-Ndaitwah was international relations and cooperation minister.

Speaking in Khoekhoegowab and Afrikaans, Swartbooi claimed Al Hameli questioned why Namibians would “want an old woman as foreign affairs minister?”.

“Your foreign minister is already falling asleep while the meeting is going on and when the meeting finishes, we wake her up for tea and after tea, she sleeps again,” Swartbooi claims Al Hameli told him.

“NOT TRUE”

On Friday, Al Hameli denied telling Swartbooi that Nandi-Ndaitwah is old or sleeps during international conferences.

He told The Namibian he met with Swartbooi on 22 March 2023 and the discussions were about investment opportunities for the southern part of Namibia.

“Please note, this is the only meeting that I ever had with Swartbooi,” Al Hameli said.

When The Namibian asked former LPM deputy president Henny Seibeb, who was part of the South African meeting, about the matter, he said Swartbooi’s claims were a fabrication.

“These are the infertile figments of Bernadus Swartbooi’s uncouth and uncultured imagination.”

Seibeb said Swartbooi’s accusations have the potential to cause a diplomatic row between Namibia and the United Arab Emirates.

“Essentially, he is using the ambassador’s proximity to manufacture stories and trying very hard to cause friction between the two countries,” Seibeb said.

Seibeb confirmed that the meeting with Al Hameli was about exploring potential investment opportunities in the grape and date sectors in the //Kharas region, and that it was the only meeting the LPM had with Al Hameli.

Nandi-Ndaitwah served as minister of international relations and cooperation from March 2015 until February 2024, when she was appointed the country’s vice president following the death of president Hage Geingob.

Swartbooi did not respond to a text message sent to him regarding the matter on Thursday.

LPM spokesperson Lifalaza Simataa has also denied Swartbooi’s claims.

“The ambassador did not say so,” Simataa said.

‘IN THE NAME OF JESUS’

Speaking during the campaign gathering last week, Swartbooi said when older leaders return from foreign trips and say they represented the country well, they are lying.

“When they travel abroad, they travel to go to sleep” he said.

“I am not saying Netumbo will become president, in fact, I rebuke that in the name of Jesus. But what I am saying is that she is too old to continue.”

“If we elect Netumbo, then we do not have respect for our elders. That is elder abuse. Even if a plane shakes, she might even suffer a heart attack.”

Swartbooi’s attack on Nandi-Ndaitwah follows Seibeb’s returning to the ruling party about a month ago.

In September 2022, Nandi-Ndaitwah said she would have no problem with the party’s prodigal sons, like former Swapo youth leaders Job Amupanda and Bernadus Swartbooi, returning to the party’s ranks.

“They will be welcomed. They can start their life with the party and be part of the team that is moving the party forward,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said at the time.

Political analyst Henning Melber said Swartbooi and the LPM mainly appeal to a specific regional-ethnic segment of the Namibian electorate.

“This is to some extent applicable to almost all Namibian parties, hence wrong or abusive statements remain largely without consequences when it comes to electoral support,” Melber said.

He added that if the LPM emerged as the biggest party and its leader as the country’s president, such an incident would risk having diplomatic consequences.

“But since this is highly unlikely, it remains one of the indicators of how immature many actors (in many parties) are in terms of political culture.”