Africa-Press – Namibia. Swapo San community members in the Tsumkwe constituency have accused the party of overlooking them in the party branch structures within their constituency.
Speaking to The Namibian on Wednesday, activist and protest leader Matambo Kambila said for too long San people have been used for the mere purpose of voting while being deprived of opportunities to hold positions within the party.
The protest comes following a growing rift among the party cadres in the Otjozondjupa region over accusations of leaders being imposed on them.
“We love the party, we are not against it. But the exclusion of San people from participating in party sections and branch selections is not fair and we want fairness and equal opportunities. We still have people without membership cards up until today,” he said.
The group took to the streets on Wednesday to air their discontent at what they described as a strategy to exclude them from partaking, and called for fairness.
The group claims that regional and district leaders are pushing a coordinated strategy to keep power among a few selected families and friends.
Those close to the current Tsumkwe constituency councillor, Johannes Hausiku, the group claims, are the only ones with cards and executive positions.
This, they said, goes against the founding spirit of Swapo, which was built on fairness, unity and mass inclusion.
They complained that many old cadres, particularly San people, have waited for over 34 years after applying for membership cards, only to be told their applications were nullified or disqualified due to technical issues.
“To date, the 500 membership cards promised on 11 December 2024 during a meeting with Otjozondjupa regional leadership have not been delivered,” said Kambila.
This denial of cards, he stated, denies them the fundamental right to vote and choose their leadership.
He said this further denies them citizenship within the party and their ability to influence the party’s future in the region.
They demanded that Ju/hoansi Traditional Authority acting chief Fransina Ghauz pause all restructuring processes immediately until every branch and section is revisited with fair notification procedures.
They further demanded that the party deploys a neutral national team from Windhoek or the office of the secretary general to come and oversee the revival of Tsumkwe constituency’s branches and sections.
They want all delayed membership cards to be distributed to qualifying applicants before any further internal processes are conducted and ensure a 30-day public notice for awareness purposes and fair democracy.
They also demand the reinstatement of all rightful members into the party registry and to allow all interested and loyal comrades to participate in electing their leadership.
“We need fair revival of party wings as the active one is secretly done to a select few,” Kambila said.
Tsumkwe constituency district coordinator Renate Swartbooi says a meeting was held a few months ago with various executive branches regarding planned visits for the revival and renewal of mandates of sections and branches. Those present were entrusted to spread the word across all 15 branches at Tsumkwe.
On the issue of membership cards, Swartbooi clarifies that all 500 cards are at the Swapo Otjiwarongo office, however, the process of signing and issuing is the reason for the delay.
“I always take along some to Grootfontein and Tsumkwe when I visit the constituency but the branch executives often are busy with branch duties and do not sign off membership cards on time. The process is also long, because every membership must be vetted by the head office in Windhoek then signed off and sent back to be signed off in various constituencies,” she says.
She calls for patience in this regard, while also stating that the group protesting is trying to cause division in the party.
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