Former defence minister blames Republican Party for national problems

Peter Vilho, Katutura East mini-rally, 2 November

The purpose of today’s rally is to ask all patriotic Namibians to once more cast their votes for Swapo and its presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.

Swapo is not only a political organisation, but also a liberation movement that led an armed struggle against the apartheid-colonial regime of South Africa.

It is the party your parents and grandparents voted into power to bring about economic independence and prosperity for our people.

At the head of the party today is our trusted and patriotic comrade, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is on an irreversible course to become Namibia’s first woman president. Our vice president is a committed party cadre, a fierce freedom fighter, and a seasoned diplomat. She is an example of those who stood firm where others wavered.

Every five years, our people go to the polls to vote for the political party that is best suited to lead them onto the next economic trajectory. For Swapo, that economic path is defined in its manifesto, which was launched on 14 September.

In addition to the manifesto, it is also important that our people understand the hostile political, economic and social environment the manifesto will be implemented in. When you talk about economic development, especially in Namibia and South Africa, without considering the interests and possible hostile actions of our white compatriots who control 90% of the economy, you are shooting in the dark.

A group that has so much influence in society can either be a force for good or a force for evil. They should either be praised or condemned for their actions. But they are too big to be ignored. Otherwise, our hopes and ambitions are misplaced, because outside of that group, Namibia is not a rich country.

Over two months ago, Henk Mudge, the president of the Republican Party (RP), was quoted as saying apartheid was abolished by his father (Dirk Mudge) and not by Swapo. That statement is false and is of no interest to us.

What we want to know is what Henk Mudge plans to do with the provision of Article 23 (2) of the Namibian Constitution that demands of the parliament “to make laws that will allow the people who suffered under apartheid-colonialism to be brought economically at the same level as those that benefitted from apartheid”.

It has become apparent that he does not intend to do anything about it. Instead, he has decided to take back political power.

Encouraged by events in South Africa, they have chosen the upcoming elections as the battleground for that objective. And that objective would have been achieved if they could deny Swapo a two-thirds majority in the parliament.

But since the Republican Party does not have the necessary numbers in its constituency, it has enlisted the help of other political parties to give it part of the indigenous vote to unseat the Swapo government. Some of these parties they have created, while they bought others over.

Swapo, on the other hand, needs a two-thirds majority to do away with those laws that are not serving our people’s interests, and put in place laws and policies that can deliver economic justice to our people.

We can therefore conclude that there are only two key players in this competition: On one side we have those who control our national resources and are represented by the RP, and on the opposing side we have those who want their fair share of these resources and are represented by Swapo. The other parties are just side shows.

For example, at this stage of the economic struggle, we cannot speak of a contest between Swapo and the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM). There can be no economic contestation between parties that own nothing.

Instead of working towards an inclusive economic space, the RP, as representative of the previously advantaged, has over the past 34 years worked to sabotage all government efforts to bring about meaningful economic development. It has pushed back against institutional and individual efforts to improve the lives of our people.

Unfortunately, some of our young people have concluded that politics is not for them, and they rather focus on their professional careers or business endeavours. However, it is easier said than done. Let me give you a few examples:

THE ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES

Who still remembers Panduleni Itula’s fight with the Medical and Dental Council of Namibia over his registration as a dental specialist? At that time, Itula argued that the dentists the minister chose to decide on his fate all belonged to the Namibia Dental Association, which he claimed discriminated against those who did not affiliate with it.

How many of you here have family members or know of people who cannot practise their profession because they are struggling to be registered with professional bodies? Whose economic interests are these professional bodies serving? The answer is the Republican Party.

So, while the government is funding your studies through the Namibia Students Financial Assistance Fund (NSFAF), once you graduate, the RP can still prevent you from practising your profession.

Most of us from this neighborhood supported Itula’s cause. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us today. He is enjoying coffee with the same people he criticised not so long ago, having forgotten that many young graduates are still subject to discrimination by professional bodies.

THE ROLE OF BUSINESS

Another example is a story, carried by New Era on 18 September 2024, about a certain Ottilie Ndimulunde, who is prevented from developing her mining concession. She has been taken to court by some conservancies in the Khorixas area, together with a tourist company called Ultimate Safaris. They are arguing that her mining activities would disturb the rhino population and interfere with their tour operations.

Whose economic interest is the action of Ultimate Safari serving? Of course, that of the Republican Party. Again, you see that although the government has given this woman a business opportunity, the RP is acting to take it away from her.

Can you imagine what would happen to this poor black woman if she loses the case? She will come out of it so battered and bruised that she would never dream of going into business again. She would lose everything she has invested in the project. She would be burdened with a bank loan if she had taken out any. On top of that, she must still find money for her legal costs.

Some of you may have dismissed this as a strictly environmental matter. It isn’t. This is a classic example of economic warfare waged against our people in the name of environmental sustainability. Many aspiring young black business people are subjected to this type of bullying on a daily basis – if not in court, then in the boardroom, or at the workplace.

The examples are plenty and varied – seal culling, elephant culling, phosphate mining, ReconAfrica’s oil exploration in the Kavango. It’s like we are the only country in the world that has an environment.

Even the case of Paragon vs Menzies is a form of economic warfare.

THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA

Poor Ottilie was not spared by the media either. The Namibian of 20 September 2024 in its editorial piece joined the fight against her. It accused Ottilie of benefiting from favouritism, criticising the Ministry of Mines and Energy for issuing her a licence.

What surprises me, though, is why an objective newspaper such as The Namibian wants to take sides on a matter that is before court. Whose economic interest is this article promoting? It goes without saying – that of the Republican Party.

Don’t shoot the messenger. I am just telling it like it is.

THE ROLE OF OPPOSITION PARTIES

Another act of sabotage that borders on treason was the killing of the Baynes Hydropower Project – a project that would have made us energy self-sufficient; a project that was critical to us on our journey to industrialisation. They did it by lobbying the international lending institutions not to fund the project.

Even though, in this case, it was an environmentally friendly project, they found a cultural reason to bury it. Leading the pack in this pushback was the PDM, and right behind it, the Republican Party.

Last week, I picked up a similar story of the Nama Traditional Authority claiming the Lüderitz port expansion will destroy the Shark Island heritage site. Please tell me who in his right mind would want to destroy Shark Island?

During the Baynes Hydropower debate, the PDM was the one whispering in the ears of the Kunene Traditional Authorities not to accept the project. Who do you suspect is whispering in the ears of the Nama Traditional Authority today?

You probably want to ask me the following question: If the constituency of the RP also stands to benefit from the overall economic development, why is it sabotaging these projects? The answer is that these people are not interested in overall economic growth. They are interested in economic control. The current 90% hold on the economy is enough to meet their needs.

Growing the economy would mean increased revenue for the government, which would in turn dilute and weaken the party’s chokehold on the economy.

Everybody who is blaming Swapo is barking up the wrong tree. We are in this economic quagmire because of the attitudes and actions of the Republican Party and those it represents. If you are looking for the elephant in the room, you have found it.

THE GOVERNMENT’S REACTION

What is the reaction of the Swapo government to this situation? The Swapo government has over the past years been striving to level the economic playing field through:

1. • The Agricultural (Commercial) Land Reform Act of 1995.
2. • The Affirmative Action (Employment) Act of 1998.
3. • The national equitable economic empowerment bill, which is just another phrase for black economic empowerment. The idea behind this bill is to do away with the income inequalities that exist in Namibia and ensure a balanced redistribution of wealth among all races. This law is still in draft form.

However, when it comes up again for discussion, there will be many prophets of doom who will argue it will not work. Some will call it apartheid in reverse. Don’t mind them.

In the early 1900s, the South African government came up with the Afrikaner economic empowerment law to create opportunities for Afrikaners in an economy that was controlled by the English.

So, when that bill comes up again for discussion, you should rally behind your government. If there ever was anything worth toyi-toying about, it is that bill. If Sam Nujoma was the only voice at the UN without internal protests, Namibia would still be a colony today.

OUR ECONOMIC SUCCESSES

Despite these limitations, how did Swapo perform economically? It is true that we built houses, hospitals and clinics, schools and universities. We provided access to water and electricity, we built roads and ports, but what was the impact of these specific projects on the standard of living of our people?

For an answer to that, I will refer to the 2024 World Bank Country Report.

Here the bank is giving us a short economic history. It says: “Since its independence in 1990, Namibia had made progress in reducing poverty by cutting in half the proportion of Namibians living below the poverty line from 63% to 28.7% in 2010, and again from 28.7% to 17.4% by 2016. Further reduction was made difficult by the 2016 global economic slowdown, and it was later worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The report goes on to say: “The black majority continues to be excluded from fully participating in economic activities, which is a constraint to the country’s economic and social progress.”

Here again the bank validates the argument that only with equality in economic opportunities between blacks and whites can the country fully exploit its economic and cultural potential.

That is the goal of the Harambee Prosperity Plan as expounded by our late president Hage Geingob – that we all, black and white, need to pull in one direction.

As you may have discovered by now, the path to economic prosperity is full of hurdles. That’s why it’s called a struggle.

What you must do is organise yourselves.

I have seen there are bodies such as the Black Business Leadership Network of Namibia and the Namibia Local Businesses Association. Do not discount their importance.

You have seen how The Namibian and Ultimate Safaris acted in concert to make their case.

Inasmuch as the vice president (VP) is talking about youth empowerment, nothing will fall into your lap.

The VP is promising to create an enabling business environment, she is promising to give you legal protection, and she is promising to give you access to capital. But to succeed, you must organise yourselves and take charge of your country’s economy.

Create your own professional bodies, if need be, establish businesses to give employment to your people, and establish your own media houses.

We shouldn’t be embarrassed to be called tenderpreneurs if that is the only avenue open to us.

THE NATURE OF THE CURRENT OPPOSITION PARTIES

Having told you that the two main contenders are Swapo and the RP, let’s look at the role of the remaining political parties.

During the last elections, stories circulated in the media that Henk Mudge’s constituency sat him down and told him to give up his misplaced ambitions of ever being elected as the president of Namibia.

They further told him the DTA/PDM project is past its sell-by date. What they needed was another indigenous face they could control. So, they found the perfect tool in Itula – and the IPC was born.

The use of opposition political parties is a manifestation of the old colonial tactics of divide and rule.

They want to make you believe there is competition for political power between these opposition parties and Swapo, which is a lie.

Swapo is in competition for economic power with those who have it. Venaani, Swartbooi, Itula and others have no control over land, minerals, industries or businesses.

What is it they are protecting from Swapo? What does Swapo gain by defeating them? To us they are just tools in the hands of those who finance and control them.

Our engagement should not be with the tool, it should be with the hand that manipulates the tool.

How do I know they are on the same WhatsApp group? They said so themselves.

In the 2019 general elections, Itula did not have a party, so he instructed his supporters to vote for the PDM, while RP members were ordered to vote for Itula.

In the 2020 regional and local authority elections, RP followers were instructed to vote for the IPC. That’s how they got the votes they did in Windhoek and at the coastal towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.

Tell me this: When the leader of the PDM, speaking in the parliament for all the world to hear, says things were better under apartheid, who do you think he is trying to please? The RP.

When the leader of the IPC says there is no ancestral land to be returned to indigenous Namibians, who do you think he is trying to please? The RP.

When the leader of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), speaking on an Afrikaans radio station, says in his land reform policies he is not interested in privately owned land, but only interested in government-owned land, who do you think he is trying to please? The RP.

Now you have all the information you need to make an informed decision.

On 27 November, when you find yourself alone in the polling booth, the questions you need to ask yourself are:

Do you want to live in a country where only a small group of the population owns and controls 90% of our resources?

If that’s what you want, you can vote for any of the opposition parties.

Or do you want to see a fairer distribution of our resources through black economic empowerment policies through the youth empowerment programme, through the land reform programme, and through the natural resource beneficiation plan?

If that’s what you want, then give Swapo a two-thirds majority and Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah the Namibian Presidency.

Finally, I want to share a secret with you that the hostile media doesn’t like to talk about.

This is also what gives me the confidence that we are going to win the elections.

Swapo already commands a two-thirds majority in the National Council, which needs to be complemented by a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.

The IPC, which we are told is the main threat to Swapo, only has two seats against Swapo’s 28 in the National Council.

In the 2019 National Assembly elections, Swapo missed the two-thirds majority by only 0.5%.

Let’s go out there and do the right thing!