By: Kelvin Chiringa
Home affairs minister, Albert Kawana, says that President Hage Geingob will never be recalled and that any thought of doing so on the part of some political outfits is merely wishful thinking.
The Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) has lately called for Geingob to step aside to allow for a full investigation into claims that he is complicit in concealing crimes committed in South Africa.
The party has so far unsuccessfully knocked on the door of the office of the Ombudsman.
“A recall of a President in our system is simply wishful thinking. The President is innocent and clean as per the comprehensive response by the President. The Namibian police is innocent and clean as per the comprehensive response they issued. Therefore the chapter of this matter is closed,” said the minister.
Kawana also said claims that alleged Cyril Ramaphosa’s farm robbery mastermind, Immanuel David, was abducted and tortured in Namibia with the full knowledge of Geingob were malicious and defamatory.
Kawana was speaking this Thursday afternoon in the National Assembly, where he provided a sequence of events from the arrest and trial of Imanuwela.
Kawana said the purpose of his presentation was to provide documentary proof to refute the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
He also said that copies of the court records and the charge sheet would be provided to members of the August House.
He added that a court of declaration of prohibited immigrants issued to Immanuel by a senior immigration officer would also be made available to counter allegations of abduction.
“It will be proven that such an allegation is defamatory, malicious and politically motivated if one takes into account some comments and remarks which are made in some print and social media,” he said.
Kawana has also come out to water down speculation that the arrest of then Fishcor acting boss, Paulus Ngalangi, was linked to the Fishrot scandal.
Ngalangi was arrested on the 19th of August 2020 in Luderitz and was instrumental in transporting Imanuwela to Windhoek using his vehicle.
This, after he was made Fishcor acting Chief Executive Officer in 2019 to replace Fishrot accused Mike Nghipunya.
The arrest of Ngalangi and the charges against him are clear evidence that the media and social reports that his detention had everything to do with the Fishrot scandal was false, the minister said.
The minister also said that at all material times, the police acted within the spirit and letter of the Namibian law.
“There is no doubt in this case that the public was misled by both social and print media. My advice to the members of the public in Namibia is that whatever you read in print or social media about individuals, you must do so with a pinch of salt because our media is extremely polluted.”
“It is now common cause that the arrest had absolutely nothing to do with Fishrot. The Fishrot speculation stemmed from the fact that at the time of his arrest, Mr Ngalangi Paulus Alpheus was Fishcor acting CEO, based in Luderitz,” he said.
