Mukwiilongo condemns Ovambadja exclusion

Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) leader Epafras Mukwiilongo argues that the exclusion of Ovambadja people from top government structures such as Cabinet since independence amounts to blatant discrimination that disregards their crucial role in the country’s liberation struggle and their general contribution to society.Mukwiilongo also criticised the ruling Swapo party for allegedly overlooking the Ovambadja community despite their area – Okalongo – being a proverbial ‘no-go zone’ for opposition political parties.The NEFF leader was speaking to Namibian Sun following his viral WhatsApp audio recordings in which he criticised the perpetual discrimination of the Ovambadja community.“It cannot be right that after 34 years of independence, there is no single member from the Ovambadja tribe who was appointed even as a deputy minister,” Mukwiilongo argued.“We know of Aambadja people, especially businessmen, who played a big role during the liberation struggle. They used their shops to hide our soldiers and also transported weapons from Angola into Namibia,” he remarked.“We all know that Okalongo, which is predominantly a Mbadja area, is a Swapo stronghold. Opposition parties since 1990 have failed to win over the people of Okalongo, but when you look at their representation in parliament or top government positions, they are nowhere to be found," he said. RepresentationMukwiilongo added: “I am well aware that we have many tribes in the country, but if we are saying we are building a Namibian house, let us not exclude others, especially those who fought for the liberation of the country.”He said they are the only political party going into next week’s election with two of its top 10 candidates vying for parliament hailing from Okalongo.“On our parliamentary list, numbers three and nine are from the Ovambadja community. We are the only party that can say that,” he said.Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) national spokesperson Immanuel Nashinge, who is Mbadja-speaking, is 12th on the party’s parliamentary list.‘Telling the truth’Weighing in on the matter, prominent Okalongo businessman Josua &#039;Ketu 2000&#039; Mwetupunga concurred with Mukwiilongo, saying the Ovambadja community feels excluded by government and their political parties.Mwetupunga, who stood as an IPC candidate in the Okalongo constituency election in 2020, said it encourages voters in the area to keep voting while they remain largely excluded from mainstream structures of governance.“I listened to [Mukwiilongo’s] audios, and he is telling the truth. Most political parties have Ovambandja members, but whenever there is a parliament list, you will feel pity for us Ovambadjas from Okalongo,” he said. “I am not referring to those residing in Windhoek or elsewhere where one of their parents is from Okalongo, but I am speaking about us who live in Okalongo constituency. We don’t have a history of someone from Okalongo who was a member of parliament apart from John Hakaye, who was a regional councillor and served in the National Council – that was the highest position we ever got," he noted. “So, there is a lot of complaints amongst the Ovambadja people, as we really feel excluded by the government and the political parties we have aligned with. Even for this coming election, people are asking themselves why they must go vote if their people are not considered by their parties.“Those things are playing a big role, like this year, most of the Okalongo people are feeling bad about how political parties have done in as far as the parliamentary lists are concerned.”kenya@nmh-hub.com.na#NamibiaDecides2024

Mukwiilongo condemns Ovambadja exclusion

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-29

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Mukwiilongo condemns Ovambadja exclusion

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-29

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