Stefanus Nashama
AFFIRMATIVE Repositioning leader and former City of Windhoek (CoW) Mayor, Job Amupanda says he is neither concerned nor worried about criticism of him embracing local dog meat known as ‘dog Kapana’.
Amupanda said a lion does not lose sleep over the opinions of a springbok, and those criticising him for supporting regular people who are working hard to put food on the table are also wrong.
He told the Windhoek Observer that individuals who criticise the practice of eating dog meat are primarily white people who eat tranquil marine invertebrates.
“White people even forcefully call these insects seafood, but black people don’t complain,” he emphasised.
Amupanda also highlighted that white people and a few others who oppose the sale and consumption of canine meat are wasting their time and have no idea what they are fighting for.
According to former CoW Mayor, a call to ban dog meat is pointless, and white people and foreigners should not tell black people what to eat or how to dispose of or hypothecate their possessions.
He mentioned that the delicacy was nothing new saying that meat is only meat, no one should pretend to be intelligent enough to use his or her feeble mind to tell others what they should do with their meal.
“Our people have been enjoying this meat for hundreds of years, and they will not stop no matter what white people and their puppets say,” he stated emphatically.
This comes after Amupanda posted a video on his Facebook account over the weekend in which he bought and ate a slice of dog meat at Omuthiya market in the Oshikoto region while urging the people to support dog meat vendors.
Amupanda claimed in the video, “Meme Ula sells the best dog meat in Omuthiya. Go show your support for her.”
Thousands of people commented on the video, saying that Amupanda, as a leader, should not push for people to butcher dogs for consumption.
However, Amupanda responded by saying the people don’t understand dog meat.
“Our people will never stop selling and consuming dog meat, and everyone who criticises them is wasting their time,” he stated.
Amupanda further stated that he had received feedback that his clarion cry for people to pass by Omuthiya market to assist Meme Ula and others was well received, and that more people had turned to support dog meat merchants.
“Just this morning (Monday), the first bucket was finished. Typically, these ordinary people do not have the means to market their businesses,” he explained.
Amupanda is grateful that he was able to assist dog meat vendors in marketing their business so that they can provide food and pay for their children’s school fees.
Criticism of dog meat grew after a Rehoboth resident was outraged to discover her missing family dog had been taken and butchered by three strangers.
Amupanda, who has been battling for the abolition of Redline (veterinary cordon fence), has urged people to fight for what matters such as national matter and not fight over dog meat.
Dog meat is widely regarded as disease-free diet among the Oshiwambo and other tribes.
People butcher dogs for meat (food) and to sell Kapana to generate revenue for families, much as they do chickens, goats, calves, and a variety of other animals for food and income.
