By Risco Lumamezi
Chances not to register a new political party called Candidature for National Unity [CANU] with the Electoral Commission of Namibia glued the party’s founders with new political view.
The founding president of Candidature for National Unity, Mr. Robert Kamwi Sililo, a former teacher, confirmed to Caprivi Vision recently that, his party will continue advocating for the revival of CANU and if this still fails, the party will join other political parties who are not from Caprivi region.
“We will join a party because most of the Caprivians are just fragmented into politics, we can take position of Vice president and they will take the presidency” Said Mr. Sililo.
Mr.Philemone Kanime , before his suspension as Director of ECN told this paper that it is true he received an application letter stating the registration of CANU and he added that political parties in Caprivi seems to be reluctant that in 2004 his office registered the National Democratic Party (NDP) for Mr. Martin Lukato a former policeman which according to him is not active with the same sentiments applied to Mr. Lukato who was asked by the Commission to rub the name Caprivi from his party as it was called CNDP(Caprivi National Democratic Party) but this did not field any candidate in the elections for 2004.
“These guys who formed up CANU party they told me they will join SWAPO we really appreciate their discussions with SWAPO”Said Mr.Kanime earlier.
The idea of forming a new political party CANU started in March, 2006 showing confusion with the electoral body and other traditional authorities in Caprivi with its leadership that, whether the party is for Caprivi or the rest of Namibia.
The commission stated so far in the letter that the party’s name connotes the same meaning with the party of Caprivi African National Union, CANU which joined SWAPO during the liberation struggle of Namibia.
Sililo said, the denial of the registration of his party by ECN have shown a step forward for him to revive the helm of CANU, which joined SWAPO in 1964.
“If they say CANU joined SWAPO in the mid sixties then they must bring Caprivians in the leadership because Caprivi and SWA/Namibia where separate states which joined together in forming one country then the Vice –president of Namibia must be a Caprivian” Sililo said.
Quoted in a letter dated 2006 that we got from Mr. Sililo of CANU “after a thorough consideration, the Electoral Commission came to a conclusion that the abbreviation of your party’s name is exactly the same as the then Caprivi African National Union (CANU), a party which according to the political history of Namibia joined SWAPO in the mid- sixties.” said the letter.
Sililo who spent his life time in politics argues that, he want to see CANU which is in SWAPO to have its own membership “This is the party which unites us we Caprivians, We don’t want people to divide us, our two Chiefs, Late Chief Mamili of the Mafwe and Late Chief Moraliswani of the Masubia, they knew this party and supported it very well”he said.
So far, during Namibia’s quest for independence, CANU made different steps, as they were divisions within the party because of other Caprivians who returned from the liberation struggle in early eighties then they formed up three political parties, which according to Sililo made CANU dirty and confused the Chiefs, as they were boarder disputes between Mafwe and Masubia.
Others they formed CANU Royal, which was under the leadership of late, Ernest Likando and late Lammy Matengu who claimed that they were Masubia, while Sibeya Simasiku and Benjamin Mabuku continued with the other CANU, which was later, swallowed by the National Patriotic Front [NPF] for former Member of Parliament Mr. Moses Katjiongwa.
“I was a Youth Leader of CANU and I want it to habour all political parties which are in Caprivi and get united”. Sililo said.
Late Gabriel Siseho formed up Caprivi Alliance Party (CAP), which got its affiliation with the United Democratic Front (UDF) in 1989. CAP was a political party, which was under the banner of CANU.
“SWAPO and CANU should sign a unity Accord” Sililo warned.
He said, the unity accord would seek for the government of national unity as he claims that Caprivi was demarcated into a region instead of a state, he condemns that all decisions to the 1964 merger in Lusaka was not to the interest of the people of Caprivi.
“Chiefs were not consulted; we still need to see our people now who are in SWAPO and CANU and we want our senior Ministers from Caprivi to know their stand in SWAPO”
“I want the government to grant amnesty to Caprivians who are in prison and all those who are in exile to come back and our people are suffering”Mr. Sililo boosted.
Other issues, which CANU wants to draw on line, are the life expectancy and the high prevalence rate of the HIV/AIDS, which has gone out of hand and it needs urgent response to re-dress it. Asked whether his party approached SWAPO party or any Parliamentarians and senior ministers who are from Caprivi region about his view to join the ruling party, Mr Sililo pointed out that he did not want to join because this need more time to concentrate on his party’s manifesto.
SWAPO ruling Caprivi.
General Elections results for 2004 of the National Assembly have showed SWAPO taking a lead in all constituencies of the Caprivi region.
| Constituency | COD | UDF | DTA | RP | SWAPO |
| Kabbe | 90 | 12 | 13 | 39 | 3812 |
| Katima Mulilo Rural | 482 | 62 | 407 | 474 | 3819 |
| Katima Mulilo Urban | 1105 | 67 | 275 | 470 | 6135 |
| Kongola | 472 | 32 | 291 | 562 | 1478 |
| Linyanti | 776 | 63 | 510 | 804 | 2990 |
| Sibbinda | 956 | 32 | 327 | 390 | 1691 |
So far the ruling party had selected its six councilors, who include the Caprivi Regional Governor Leonard Mwilima , for Katima Mulilo Rural Constituency , Councilor Bernard Sibalatani of Katima Urban and a new member of the National Council who replaced the current Governor Mwilima last month and who then served as a Regional Governor for Caprivi region since 1999, the new face of a prominent business man Felix Mukupi for Sibbinda, Moffate Sileze was re-elected as Councilor for Kongola Constituency ,Peter Mwala was re-elected for the third term as Councilor for Kabbe Constituency while Dorothy Kabula was elected as a councilor for Linyanti Constituency and she is serving as a Member of Parliament in the National Council since 2005.
The present members of the national assembly from Caprivi Region are Dr. Albert Kawana, who is the minister of Presidential Affairs, Dr Richard Kamwi the Minister of Health, Victor Simunja the Deputy Minister of Defence and Doreen Siyoka the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.
The Embassy of the United States of America, visited the Caprivi region last June during its usual advocacy country wide tour on its projects linked to promoting democracy and fighting the pandemic of HIV/AIDS.
Mark Cassayre the Embassy’s Political Officer told Caprivi Vision that his tour to Caprivi was to meet political leaders of the region, Traditional Leaders and all sectors of the society. This indicated that Caprivi has a special need for development and a political voice.
Asked to shed some lights on political solution in the region, he said “Our role is to understand and promote democracy through the funding on the national level”
He said the American embassy has donated funds to the Namibia Institute of Democracy (NID) through the project of Voter Education on the national level as this will benefit all civil society groups in Namibia.
History of Caprivi Region
From 1600s and 1700s first Lozi Empire ruled the Island
1820 –1864 Kololo Empire
1864 –1890 Second Lozi Empire
1914 – 1918 Caprivi is added to German South West Africa.
1921-1929 Administered as part of the British Military Rule.
1929-1939 Administration is allocated to South West African Administration in Windhoek.
1940-1981 Administered by South Africa from Pretoria under the administration of Caprivians a part of the South West African Administration.
1990-1992 Transitional period of Namibian independence Caprivi becomes one of the 13 political regions of Namibia with its Governor and its six Councillors.
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