By: Hertha Ekandjo
Affirmative Repositioning (AR) activist Dumbulukeni Nauyoma and Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters’ (NEFF) Michael Amushelelo say their Black People Economic Emancipation Association (BPEEA) is planning to hold a nationwide protest on 25 October in Windhoek.
According to the two, the protest is for economic emancipation, stating that they want the the laws and institutions that are a ‘stumbling block’ to Namibia’s national prosperity to be reformed.
Nauyoma and Amushelelo said this during a BPEEA press conference on Wednesday at Stop n Shop open market in Windhoek.
“We decided to fight for the economic emancipation of the Namibian people. We locate the struggle for economic emancipation within the long resistance of our people to racist colonial, imperialist, political, economic and social domination,” they said.
According to Amushelelo, the establishment of BPEEA was to consolidate black people towards genuine and practical economic power solely.
He further noted that the association would have presentations in all 57 localities to ensure that all indigenous black Namibians get empowered with economic knowledge.
“The association shall firmly commit itself to organise and unite black people to act with one purpose of becoming super economic powers. BPEEA would be tasked with awakening black people in creating generational wealth by getting access to equal distribution of the means of production,” said Amushelelo.
“The minerals beneath the soil, banks and the monopoly industry would be transferred to the people’s ownership. Trade would be controlled to assist the well-being of the people.”
Meanwhile, Nauyoma noted that for 32 years, they hoped for the ruling party’s leaders to change their attitude towards the people, but yet they continued to ‘loot’ and ‘enrich’ themselves illicitly through their social positions whilst people languished in poverty.
“We have been robbed of our birthright to land, liberty, peace and economic freedom by the form of government founded on injustice and inequality,” he said.
Touching on the Chinatown arrest, Nauyoma mentioned that their arrival and descent into china town were characterised as anarchic and rebellious by the ‘enemies’ of the people and those that lacked moral high ground to speak on issues that affect the people.
“It should be noted that our intensive social activism has always been aimed at uplifting and bettering all the poor, downtrodden, oppressed, marginalised and disenfranchised,” said Nauyoma.
Moreover, he articulated that it was no surprise to them when the police called for a manhunt of Amushelelo and his arrest alongside other radical fighters of the Namibian people on 13 May 2022.
“We were detained over 2400 hours. The aim was to break our testicular fortitude, revolutionary spirit to fight for the poor and the disenfranchised,” he explained.
BPEEA explained that the association was for everyone regardless of their politics.
“The political masses can no longer control us. From today on, people shall govern. From today on, the government headquarters is at Stop n Shop. We will be running the government now from Stop n Shop. This is now the new parliament and the parliament of the people,” BPEEA emphasised.
