Netumbo preaches continuity, Itula evangelizes change
Presidential and parliamentary election next week
The pair, who seem to be the biggest rivals if the results of last week's special voting is anything to go by, are in a last ditch to sway voters in their own directions.
Both speaking at the weekend, Swapo presidential candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said corruption is the biggest danger to society, while her Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) rival Panduleni Itula says every vote for Swapo is a vote for corruption, hunger and poverty.
Speaking at Eenhana, Nandi-Ndaitwah said corruption weakens service delivery which destroys the hard work and sweat for those “whose blood waters our freedom”.
“Ours is a glorious history. We will continue on this journey together,” she said, telling the big crowd that Swapo has done well as Namibia's ruling party for the past 34 years and it plans to continue performing once given yet another five years to govern the country.
She hailed Ohangwena and the massive crowd as evidence that the region, which she said birthed liberation struggle heroes and brave fighters, is a Swapo stronghold.
“Ohangwena birthed the late freedom fighters like Nathanael Maxuilili, Eliaser Tuhadeleni - well known as Kaxumba KaNdola - Simon Hafeni ‘Mzee’ Kaukungwa and retired defence force chief Epaphras Denga Ndaitwah [her husband] and other veterans of the liberation struggle. We do not want to betray them,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah told those in attendance to preach the Swapo gospel and the good work it has done over the years, such as overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said while water scarcity remains a challenge because of reccurring drought, government has been drilling boreholes but in many cases the underground water is either salty or not sufficient.
She said Ohangwena is destined to "make Namibia green" because of its aquifer, an underground water source discovered about a decade ago.
Vote out hunger
Itula urged his supporters to avoid to vote for him and, in the process, vote out hunger and poverty.
“If anybody goes out and votes for Swapo, you are voting for corruption, you are voting for Fishrot, you are voting for the theft of our resources, you are voting for unemployment, you are voting for kambashus to keep on burning, you are voting for hunger and poverty. That is what Swapo's trademark is, and we cannot allow our citizens to vote for that,” he said.
“Be ready to make sure that on 28 November, you are ready to pop that cork out of the bottle of champagne and celebrate the victory. But then, after that victory, it will become an arduous task to clean up the mess that Swapo has created in 34 years.”
His first order as president-elect, Itula said, will be to ask all government ministries and agencies to provide, within two weeks, a status report of their operations.
“We will be asking the ministry of finance to account for every penny that every minister spent traveling during this campaign. We will make sure that every ministry gives us what is taking place there so that we can align that with our proposals in our manifesto.”
Itula also stated that they are not going to have a cabinet “purely of IPC”.
“IPC does not possess all the people that have got what it takes to govern this country. We will look in every political party, provided you are clean, not associated with corruption, not associated with tribalism; you have got Namibia at heart and are prepared to work hard,” he said.
“Also, provided you are prepared to get a salary and go and buy your own car. We will give you no cars in our government.”
Speaking at Eenhana, Nandi-Ndaitwah said corruption weakens service delivery which destroys the hard work and sweat for those “whose blood waters our freedom”.
“Ours is a glorious history. We will continue on this journey together,” she said, telling the big crowd that Swapo has done well as Namibia's ruling party for the past 34 years and it plans to continue performing once given yet another five years to govern the country.
She hailed Ohangwena and the massive crowd as evidence that the region, which she said birthed liberation struggle heroes and brave fighters, is a Swapo stronghold.
“Ohangwena birthed the late freedom fighters like Nathanael Maxuilili, Eliaser Tuhadeleni - well known as Kaxumba KaNdola - Simon Hafeni ‘Mzee’ Kaukungwa and retired defence force chief Epaphras Denga Ndaitwah [her husband] and other veterans of the liberation struggle. We do not want to betray them,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah told those in attendance to preach the Swapo gospel and the good work it has done over the years, such as overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said while water scarcity remains a challenge because of reccurring drought, government has been drilling boreholes but in many cases the underground water is either salty or not sufficient.
She said Ohangwena is destined to "make Namibia green" because of its aquifer, an underground water source discovered about a decade ago.
Vote out hunger
Itula urged his supporters to avoid to vote for him and, in the process, vote out hunger and poverty.
“If anybody goes out and votes for Swapo, you are voting for corruption, you are voting for Fishrot, you are voting for the theft of our resources, you are voting for unemployment, you are voting for kambashus to keep on burning, you are voting for hunger and poverty. That is what Swapo's trademark is, and we cannot allow our citizens to vote for that,” he said.
“Be ready to make sure that on 28 November, you are ready to pop that cork out of the bottle of champagne and celebrate the victory. But then, after that victory, it will become an arduous task to clean up the mess that Swapo has created in 34 years.”
His first order as president-elect, Itula said, will be to ask all government ministries and agencies to provide, within two weeks, a status report of their operations.
“We will be asking the ministry of finance to account for every penny that every minister spent traveling during this campaign. We will make sure that every ministry gives us what is taking place there so that we can align that with our proposals in our manifesto.”
Itula also stated that they are not going to have a cabinet “purely of IPC”.
“IPC does not possess all the people that have got what it takes to govern this country. We will look in every political party, provided you are clean, not associated with corruption, not associated with tribalism; you have got Namibia at heart and are prepared to work hard,” he said.
“Also, provided you are prepared to get a salary and go and buy your own car. We will give you no cars in our government.”
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