Christian Harris
Where is Dr. Alfredo Hengari? Was he also in the pot? What are his political fortunes in lieu of the incoming regime? After all, and save for Pohamba Shifeta, the late President Geingob’s allies appears to have been badly cooked in the Swapo party. To many Namibians from the Zambezi region Hengari is largely seen as very anti our interests. We still vividly remember the day he referred to our demonstration against the killing of the Nchindo brothers and their cousin by the terrorist army of Botswana as pointless. Yet the same Hengari had or has a tendency of saying nothing when his tribe and Namas are demonstrating against the government for its perceived failures to address the reparation issue with Germany.
Similarly, the same Hengari called the head of the Namibia Lives matter Earle Sinvula Mudabeti a “tribalist” for simply questioning President Mbumba’s decree to allow northern regions to import Mahangu from neighbouring Angola without extending the same gesture to the Zambezi region to do the same with our other neighbour Zambia. Yet the same Hengari kept quiet when the late Kazenambo, a fellow Herero language speaker called the late President Geingob “an idiot”. Had Earle Mudabeti called Geingob a fool. Hengari’s reaction was going to be brutal. The same Hengari said nothing when the late Herero paramount Chief Adv. Vekui Rukoro uttered the statement ” Ovaherero are tired of being fingered by the Owambo government”. These remarks were deemed by many as inflaming tribal tensions in the country.
Calling others tribalists while hiding his own prejudice towards other ethnic groups is Hengari’s modus operandi. He at one time accused the Affirmative Reposition (AR) leadership of being tribalists for disagreeing with Geingob politically. In response and typical of AR’s tactics, they clapped back by digging up damaging information from him from the archives. Among this type of information, was an article in the infamous Informante newspaper where he allegedly said he did not want to have a child with an Omuwambo woman.
He has also beefed with the media on many occasions. At one time, a group of media practitioners boycotted attending media briefings at the state house alleging unfair treatment at the hands of Hengari. To this effect, they drafted a petition to President Geingob to relieve him from his position as Press Secretary.
Lastly, Hengari also beefed with one of our notable academics and prominent socio political commentator Dr. Ndumbah Kamwanyah when the latter criticised him for his unbecoming behaviour towards the media. Hengari retaliated by calling Dr. Kamwanyah a Social Worker who knows nothing about political science.” What Hengari doesn’t know is that Dr. Kamwanyah besides qualifications in Social Work, he also has a Masters Degree in Public Policy. Public policy as an academic discipline encompasses elements of Political Science, Law, Public Administration/Management, Sociology,History among other sub disciplines. Therefore when Dr. Kamwanyah writes about the politics of the state, he does so with authority.
Tribalism is a disease in Namibia. We are all guilty of this in one way or the other. However, tribalism becomes more cancerous if it’s promoted or abetted by public figures. What public figures say receives more attention than words coming from an ordinary individual driving a taxi, or selling kapana or a drunkard at the centre of Katima Mulilo.
If he doesn’t make it in any capacity in the incoming government, he surely won’t be missed by some of us. The Jihad continues…..
