SWAPO Councilor withdraws food aid as supporters join RDP

By Lubinda Samunzala at SIBBINDA

THE political divide in Simaumbulwa is a tale of controversy that is surrounded by greed, hate and non tolerance.

Several SWAPO members at Simaumbulwa village in Sibbinda constituency have crossed the political floor by acquiring membership cards of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP). The RDP Secretary General for Youth League, Mr Sibuku Malumbano issued them the new RDP membership cards last month.

This came after the councilor for Sibbinda constituency, Mr Felix Kabuku Mukupi made several threats to the electorate in his constituency that they will not receive some drought relief food aid and other infrastructural developments after the RDP won a seat in the Presidential and Parliamentary elections last year.

Sibbinda constituency is known as a constituency that is largely dominated by the opposition parties since independence when the constituency was controlled by an opposition party, the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) until 1999 when some people opposed to SWAPO party escaped to Botswana in fear of being persecuted during the “State of Emergency” tirades. This was after the constituency fell in the hands of the SWAPO party.

After joining SWAPO, residents had never seen any form of development in the area as promised by the SWAPO councillors and candidates. The only visible development’s to date are boreholes that were drilled by the former DTA councilor, the late Mr Mabuku John Nabutunga who passed away while in exile in Botswana two years ago.

Mr Malumbano welcomed the former SWAPO members to RDP and noted that they had made a wise decision from running away from a party that buys votes.
“The SWAPO party will use everything at their disposal to buy votes, and this may come in the form of infrastructural development such as electricity which is underway, the construction of low quality latrines in the villages, the upgrading of Kasheshe clinic and the empty promises of the construction of Kaenda clinic. All these empty promises are always made and used by SWAPO Members of Parliament and Councilors during elections but have never been delivered for the past ten years” He quashed.

When asked by the Caprivi Vision why the new members decided to join RDP from SWAPO, the former SWAPO group’s Spokesman Mr Julif Musikuluhe said they have been in SWAPO since 2000 after the Chief urged them to join the party, but had never seen anything happening in the community.

“The only thing we can see is the high unemployment rate, an alarming school drop outs rate, threats from the councilors and bribes in the form of money and goods. We were promised income generating projects, jobs and the improvements of the Kaenda clinic and nothing has been done and now the councilor is even threatening us that we are not going to receive any food aid after RDP won in the last year’s elections,” he explained

“We therefore decided to join RDP and maybe it will bring something on the table or talk to the SWAPO led government like what the late DTA councilor, Mr Mabuku used to do. He left us with more boreholes in our area. SWAPO councilors have done nothing here. We only had empty promises like the construction of the Kaenda clinic as is widely known and used during elections. Councilors from SWAPO party do not talk to the government because their party is a boiling pot,” he further explained

In an interview with the Caprivi Vision recently, Councilor Felix Mukupi dismissed these allegations and explained to this publication that he does not deal with threatening supporters and dismissed the allegations laid against him as biased. He also shot the claim down saying that his SWAPO party conduct was perfect.

“My friend, I do not deal with the SWAPO business that way. Those people are liars. Why can’t you put an appointment with me as a councilor so that we can talk not through my private cell number? I know my channel and the way I campaign and will not do that. Talk to my Secretary now,” he clatterely explained before he hung up his phone.

As political maturity sweeps over the Caprivi region, only the real politicians will be left standing!
ENDS