Root out corruption in Namibia – Nandi-Ndaitwah

Swapo vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has urged party members to root out corruption in society to make political gains.

She said this at a Swapo party rally held at Nkurenkuru in the Kavango West region on Saturday.

Nandi-Ndaitwah said Swapo must address some evils ahead of the 2024 presidential and National Assembly elections next year.

Among the political evils she said the party must fight head-on are tribalism and regionalism.

“We must understand that while tribes are the sources of strength, tribalism, on the contrary, is the cause of self-destruction, while corruption is a cancer that eats at the fabric of our nation,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.

She said it is party members’ duty and responsibility to fight political evils as they manifest their ugly face.

“We cannot and must not allow Namibia to be divided tribally or regionally,” she said.

The vice president said Swapo is under persistent and aggressive attacks by those who served and want to continue serving foreign powers.

“As Swapo party members, we are duty bound to guard against those who are aiming to dislodge the Swapo party from power,” she said.

Nandi-Ndaitwah said to ensure that the party remains relevant, members must ensure they are the vanguards of their hard-won independence.

She said there are some political detractors who do not want to hear the party talk about its liberation struggle credentials.

Nandi-Ndaitwah said it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure effective service delivery.

“We must base this on the principle of people first. I therefore call on Swapo members who are deployed anywhere, including government officials, to put the well-being of the Namibian people first,” she said.

She said party members and government officials must be driven by the desire to serve people.

Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah says Swapo is not doing enough in fighting corruption and holding those implicated in corruption to account.

“It’s like they are embracing people implicated in corruption scandals. To me this is just talk, but no action is being taken,” he says.

“No action is being taken against those who are implicated in corruption cases just to set an example for those who are doing it,” he says.