Martin Endjala
Leaders and residents of the Kavango East region have called on Swapo to reciprocate the loyalty they demonstrated during elections over the years.
Mukwe Constituency Councillor, Damian Maghambayi took to social media to criticise the party for neglecting the Kavango East and Kavango West regions, despite consistent electoral support by residents. He also urged for reforms to ensure equitable development.
“Our region has shown consistent loyalty to the governing party, and it is now time for that loyalty to be reciprocated. We urge the government to recognise and address our needs and aspirations,” he said.
Maghambayi criticised internal dynamics that undermine competent individuals, describing these actions as detrimental to the region’s socio-economic development.
He cited poor representation on the party list as a reflection of the failure to present qualified candidates from the regions.
“This issue was clearly reflected in the recent SWAPO Party Electoral College, where candidates from our region performed poorly, primarily due to our failure to present competitively qualified individuals capable of contending with candidates from other regions,” he said.
Despite these challenges, the regions played a pivotal role in the Swapo party’s recent National Assembly and presidential elections victory.
However, the councillor noted that this loyalty has not translated into tangible improvements in service delivery.
Maghambayi called for critical reflection and a concentrated effort from the Swapo-led government to prioritise pressing developmental issues to ensure equitable growth in the two regions.
He called for a focused effort from the government to address pressing issues, such as building feeder roads to improve connectivity and access to services, as well as the expansion of rural electrification and ensuring reliable water supply.
“Our people are facing grave dangers. People are killed by crocodiles and hippos on a monthly basis, while also suffering significant crop losses due to the destructive actions of elephants and hippos. Despite the severity of this situation, there has been little attention given to compensating affected farmers for their losses,” he said.
Maghambayi also asked the government to increase access to scholarships for Grade 12 graduates and to appoint qualified individuals from the regions to senior government and diplomatic roles.
He is also demanding the implementation of fair compensation for farmers affected by wildlife and ensuring local communities benefit from tourism revenue.
“It is imperative that the government acknowledge the hardship our communities endure and take swift action to implement a fair and effective compensation system for those whose livelihoods are directly impacted by wildlife. Furthermore, the benefits of tourism concessions must be made tangible and visible to the local communities,” he said.
Andara village resident in the Mukwe Constituency, Kambogho Dikuwe, said it is high time that Swapo start paying attention to the two regions’ needs and not only use the region to get votes.
“After 34 years of independence the regions continue to struggle with basic necessities is unacceptable,” he said.
Their calls follow president-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s recent remarks that governance will no longer be “business as usual,” and challenges must be addressed without fear or favour.
“It is not going to be business as usual! We must have a radical shift in addressing the plight of our people, especially the downtrodden and the marginalised,” said Nandi-Ndaitwah.
