By: Staff Writer
A combination of a Wednesday morning cold and the boiling rage of a dozen activists could not stop notorious business tycoon Stina Wu from receiving a petition containing daunting allegations of sexual assault, tax evasion, and oppression levelled against her fellow nationals.
Through the barrage of successive negative media spotlight, the chilling cold and anti-Chinese rhetoric, she faced a mob of agitated demonstrators at the foot-steps of China Town, Windhoek.
Not a few days ago, on these very grounds, a police crake unit had descended on a pack of politicians and activists who had mobbed to shut down the mall, where she is said to have a few buildings.
But on Wednesday morning, the same police officers provide her a tight escort, shielding her from possibly getting hurt or being asked too many questions by a crowd of journalists.
Her presence came as somewhat of a surprise especially considering that Chinese business moguls have been the subject of public scorn; more so in the recent few weeks.
She turned up anyways, spotting a black dress short enough to leave her knees to the cold, a black-furred jersey and dark sunglasses, plus tones of confidence.
Such was the beginning of a demonstration organised by the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) and Affirmative Repositioning (AR) activists, meant to put pressure on the authorities to act against Chinese nationals shipping in counterfeit goods.
The mass protest stemmed from the anger that ensued after the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRa) destroyed N$5 million worth of counterfeit goods, and many Namibians felt targeted.
However, as it would turn out, NEFF’s various petitions had broader demands.
From the trade ministry, they want non-tax paying foreign businesses to pack and go. From NamRa, they want the agency to be sent back to the finance ministry, but from Stina Wu, they want an improvement of working conditions for black workers in China Town and an end to Chinese businesses selling fakes.
The protest took to the streets of Windhoek and closed down some major roads to motorists before it arrived at the ministry of home affairs.
Home affairs minister Albert Kawana could not face the protestors, the reason being that he was not available.
“Home affairs is the one which produces work permits for the Chinese. And some of those, or all the people who try to destroy this country, get all the documents from this office,” said NEFF Commander-in-Chief Epaphras Mukwiilongo, facing the brand-new home affairs building.
At the ministry of trade, Lucia Ipumbu did not take much time before she came out, flanked by her underlings, as she was subjected to revolutionary chants and activism slogans.
“We are very concerned about the operations and direction of this ministry,” Kalimbo Ipumbu, NEFF’s second in command, said over the mic, “The directorate of international trade in the department of trade and commerce in this ministry has failed on its functions.”
According to Ipumbu, the ministry has failed to formulate and put in place a policy that regulates and controls the establishment and administering of businesses owned by foreigners.
He called for the deregistering of foreign-owned businesses that do not only dodge tax but fail to deposit and save money with local banks.
“They must pack and leave,” he told the minister, much to the applause of an excited audience.
The magnitude of the crowd attracted almost every face from the ministry, which came out to watch either from windows or the main door, where Ipumbu stood stock still, listening to a crowd picking out one by one the perceived failures under her wings.
From the crowd, entrepreneur Gregory Cloete squeezed to the rear, donning a red beret.
A few days ago, he was tear-gassed at China Town, where he attempted to finish off what his business partner, Michael Amushelelo, had started the night before.
But after this protest, he would be picketing at the Katutura Magistrates’ Court’s front yard, where Amushelelo will be fighting it out for his freedom.
“Well, it is very important to understand, and as our deputy president has mentioned, the fact that we have businesses such as the Chinese competing with local businesses and they bring in goods in large quantities they thus sell at much lower rates than our local players.”
“So, what we want is, if the Chinese are trading in Namibia, they should be able to trade at wholesale level, so that the local guy can go to China town, buy his products and resell from his small shop or wherever,” he said.
As the protest found its way to NamRa, Cloete submitted that allowing a Namibian who does not have the funding and start-up capital to compete with the Chinese was unrealistic.
By the time the protestors camped in the parking yard close to the finance ministry where NamRa is, the police had successfully cordoned off the area to allow for the petition submission without much interference with traffic in the Central Business District.
Like Ipumbu, Sam Shivute, the NamRa boss, did not take time, and just as the protestors were done cooling off throats with tumblers of water and diluted drink, he showed up, spotting a neatly cut out slim-fit suit and match-making sunglasses.
If he thought the petitioners would be as prompt as he had been for them, he had to think twice.
Immediately, the crowd booed and chanted down the commissioner, who just yesterday had displayed a bouquet of flowers and a gift from the First Lady amidst harsh criticism that he was being unfair to the poor and protecting Chinese interests.
And a few days before, he had dared even the witches and wizards of the land, saying not even Etiti (witchcraft) could abate his organisation from carrying on with the burning of seized counterfeit products.
“Judas Iscariot!” an enraged middle-aged protestor shouted just a meter away.
“Yes, come apologise to the people,” another shouted back.
Shivute smiled.
Activist Pau Pau then grabbed the mic and asked him to step forward from his crew so that, “We can see which one is Sam Shivute here.”
The commissioner stoically managed another smile as the protestors took him through the humiliation in the scorching heat of the May sun before the petition was read and handed over to him.
NEFF told him that his salary was too high and had to be cut off.
They demanded a repayment of the N$5 million lost to the flames through the fakes his agency destroyed a few days past, much to the crowd’s applause.
They asked for NamRa to return to the finance minister.
“We deem it fit to present to you the total feelings of our people. We, therefore, give you the 31st of May 2022 to rectify and apply yourself to the demands we have put forth to you,” the NEFF second in command shouted through a public addresser.
As the protestors dispersed, activist Pau remarked that this was the collective anger of Namibians which should not be taken for a ride.
“You have seen how the guy came there. We ask him who is Sam Shivute? He doesn’t even want to introduce himself. The arrogance, the same arrogance with Stina Wu. A guy who is earning N$2 million annually doesn’t care for these people who are struggling,” he said before he took off to join the protest as it snaked its way out of the CBD.
Will these petitions be responded to in time?
This week’s demonstration has been the culmination of political agitation that has also come out in support of waves of strike action by security guards and construction workers.
