By: Kelvin Chiringa
In her first ever press briefing as president of the Nudo party this week, Ester Muinjangue has said they were unapologetic about the fact that they had a dominantly OvaHerero support base.
Muinjangue said it had been proven throughout the years that only political parties with bases do survive in African politics.
She was quick to state, “However our party is open to every Namibian who is looking for a political home. We can rightfully state here our local authority councilor in Leonardville, Miss Mariana Christof is not Otjiherero speaking.”
“Equally we have Miss Anna Ntonda in Katima Mulilo who is not Otjiherero speaking. We have Miss Gretchen Boois, a leader in our women’s league and too many others,” she told journalists at her party’s headquarters.
Muinjangue’s utterances were given further weight by party Secretary General Josef Kauandenge who said even the ruling Swapo party was bolstered by a dominant Owambo support base, and thus Nudo was no different.
He went on to submit that he did not see Owambo people as tribal and that the same goes for the Herero who also “employ people from other tribes”.
Critics have, more often than not, submitted that Namibia’s alternative political outfits where regimented along tribal lines, adding that this was their undoing.
Kauandenge shot at the media for being too obsessed with the tribal make of his party without considering other parties like the UDF.
Switching the button into campaign mode
For the first time after toxic power politics hit the party last year, Nudo has this week demonstrated that it has entered the campaign zone ahead of elections.
The politics of promises have arrived and Muinjangue joined in by declaring that foremost, “We will be relentless in addressing issues affecting our people in this country, without fear or favor”.
She said, “We will ask no apology when we ask where is our stolen land? Yes our forefathers died for this land, they were killed for daring to refuse to give land to white settlers, but today when we ask for our land back we are told we are tribalist. We refuse to accept that name tag.”
As far as restorative justice is concerned, Muinjangue has been at the centre of that struggle and she has a head start.
She said she will tackle the issue of the widening gap between the rich and the poor without getting into much detail.
“Nudo is not an opposition party but we are an alternative to the ruling Swapo party. Our clarion call to Namibian voters is to give Swapo the red card and send them off the field, saying to them you are fired, as they have failed miserably in addressing pressing social and economic issues affecting our people,” she said.
She said she will as well as address “the expensive education”, high levels of corruption, informal settlements and the recurrent theme of unemployment.