Africa-Press – Namibia. FORMER president Sam Nujoma said he would accept an apology from human rights lawyer Phil ya Nangoloh, who insulted him, as long as he meets the requirements set by Swapo’s politburo.
This includes a public apology and being reformed from his “old ways”.
Nujoma said this at a politburo meeting at State House in September this year where he was informed of Ya Nangoloh’s membership application.
Ya Nangoloh’s return to Swapo comes around a year before the Swapo congress, where he is likely to attack opponents of president Hage Geinbgob who may vie for top positions.
“I understand that the political bureau noted that Mr Phil ya Nangoloh has a history of insulting Swapo party leaders, including me, and felt it would not be prudent just to accept his membership application as if nothing happened,” the former president said.
Nujoma said the political bureau, however, noted that Ya Nangoloh’s application could be considered if he is “truly reformed from his old ways of insulting Swapo party leaders, including me”.
The former head of state said he has “no objection to accepting his apology” if the condition given by the political bureau is adhered to, and if he publicly apologises for insulting Swapo leaders.
Ya Nangoloh – who still believes Nujoma should be investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) – applied to join the ruling party on 7 May this year.
He has in the past accused Swapo of killing Namibians, and of committing serious human rights abuses.
Ya Nangoloh, a fierce supporter of Geingob, is hell-bent on not apologising for his past comments about Nujoma and Swapo.
Also known as ‘Bongoman’, Ya Nangoloh has over the years attacked people who criticised the president, including news organisations.
‘OVER MY DEAD BODY’
Unless Swapo has other charges against him, Ya Nangoloh yesterday said he sees no reason to apologise.
“As long as they are not asking me to apologise for the ICC case. I have made that clear on numerous occasions: That will never happen. Over my dead body. It is not a crime at all. It is a legal procedure. There were people who took Swapo and president Hifikipunye Pohamba and president Geingob to court. Were they asked to apologise?” he asked.
He claimed Swapo will benefit from his membership, as it has been “benefiting over the years”.
According to him, he started defending Swapo in 2017 when “the party was under attack”.
“Those who were supposed to stand up were quiet. It was Phil ya Nangoloh who stood up to defend the party,” he said.
FACTIONAL SQUABBLES
Ya Nangoloh appeared to confirm he was reviving his Swapo career to defend Geingob’s faction.
According to him, Swapo is still divided into ‘Team Swapo’ and ‘Team Harambee’, and he is coming back to defend the party against problematic members.
He said those within the ‘Team Swapo’ fold seem to be afraid of him.
“I will be as vocal against it as before, but they are misleading themselves. I will be vocal against anyone who does things wrong, and Team Swapo is definitely the one that has been doing things wrong,” he said.
The NamRights founder claimed part of his new role in the party would be to remind ‘Team Swapo’ that “they will never succeed in taking over Swapo”.
“They must forget . . . as long as I am alive,” he said.
UNDER FIRE
Swapo’s chief administrator, Sophia Shaningwa, yesterday said the party decided to welcome Ya Nangoloh back after he submitted several applications to join the party.
According to Shaningwa, Ya Nangoloh’s application was considered after she took it to the party’s politburo for consideration.
She did this cognisant of the fact that Ya Nangoloh has a history of criticising the party, and had at some point tried to have Nujoma investigated for human rights crimes by the ICC.
According to Shaningwa, Ya Nangoloh’s application was first considered at a politburo meeting on 1 September, which then resolved to ask him to apologise before his application was approved.
The application was further considered at subsequent politburo meetings which took place on 14 and 16 September, and at the party’s central committee meeting (CC) on 2 October.
The CC meeting endorsed the decision to allow Ya Nangoloh back into the party, Shaningwa said.
It was in that spirit that a press conference was called to provide an opportunity for Ya Nangoloh to apologise to Nujoma and Swapo at large, Shaningwa said.
In the absence of such a public apology, Shaningwa said the party would not approve his application.
“It should, however, be very clear that the decisions of the politburo, central committee and congress are not the secretary general’s decisions. The secretary general shall ensure the implementation of the decisions of these organs as per the party constitution,” she said.
Sources yesterday told The Namibian that the politburo and central committee did not ask Ya Nangoloh for a public apology, and did not decide to host a press conference to welcome him back to the party.
Sources also said Shaningwa continued organising a welcome-back press conference just few days after Ya Nangoloh told her he would not apologise.
Geigob’s party supporters are now blaming Shaningwa for letting down the president by potentially sowing public division with Nujoma.
This, sources said, is a sign that she may find it difficult to retain the secretary general position next year.
Nujoma supporters have over the years condemned the plan to welcome Ya Nangoloh. This includes the Windhoek East district.
Treasurer of that district, Desmond Amunyela, says Ya Nangoloh cannot be accepted back into the party without accepting that he was wrong in attacking Swapo and its leaders.
Amunyela, a Nujoma ally, warned against Ya Nangoloh rejoining.
GEINGOB TO CONTEST NEXT YEAR
Shaningwa yesterday denied that Geingob was contemplating running for a third term as Namibia’s president.
She said he is, however, eligible to contest the party’s presidency at next year’s elective congress.
This, Shaningwa said, is because Geingob has only served one term, which started in 2017.
Shaningwa said Geingob was serving on Pohamba’s term when he took over as acting party president in 2014.
“We have been hearing about this third term for months now. Geingob’s terms started in 2017, and those are the terms we are working with now, if president Geingob still wishes to continue at the congress. That is not a sin, because it has been done like that in our party,” Shaningwa said.
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