Tujoromajo Kasuto
Swapo Party of Namibia, Secretary General (SG), Sophia Shaningwa, says the party will not issue and sign off a membership card to Phil Ya Nangolo until he has publicly apologised to the party’s Founding President, Sam Nujoma, other leaders and the party’s general membership.
Shaningwa at a press conference on Monday to clarify issues regarding the application for Swapo Party membership by Ya Nangolo, says the apology was set as a condition for his -readmission to the ruling party.
“Being cognisant of the fact that Ya Nangolo has previously been a critic of the party and its leadership, to the extent of requesting the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2007 to investigate the Founding Father of the Namibian Nation and other SWAPO leaders, the Secretary General took his application to the Political Bureau (PB) for a collective decision to be taken. Subsequently then the Political Bureau (PB) meeting of the 1st September 2021 resolved to issue Ya Nangolo with a Swapo Party membership card, but with the condition that he must first publicly apologise to the Founding President and other leaders of the Swapo Party, and the general membership of the Party, for the damages he had caused to their reputation and that of the SWAPO Party in the previous years,” she says.
“Following the meeting Ya Nangolo allegedly agreed that he would publicly apologise to the Founding President and other leaders of the Swapo Party and the general membership of the party,” Shaningwa says adding that the outcome of this engagement was reported back to the meeting of the PB on the 16th September 2021, and Central Committee meeting of 2 October 2021. Subsequently the decision of the PB was subsequently endorsed.
Shaningwa says Ya Nangolo’s public apology on social media was invalid, “as that was not what was agreed upon, the valid apology has to be rendered at the SWAPO headquarters before all members”.
Meanwhile, Ya Nangolo in an interview with The Namibian newspaper over the weekend stated that he did not see the need to render the apology, as the actions taken against the Founding Father was in his capacity as the founder of NamRights, highlighting the distinction between his personal brand and that of NamRights.
The Namibian Axle Kids Association (NEKA) on Sunday issued a statement condemning the decision to re-admit Ya Nangolo into the ruling party. “Ya Nangolo championed the Parents Committee, Forum for the Future, National Society for Human Rights amongst others all of whom had one sole purpose which they say is the dream to destroy and weaken Swapo. There is a CV of evidence how Ya Nangolo and cohorts have systematically wanted to destroy SWAPO and especially vilify, insult and demonise Nujoma,” the statement reads.
“It is ironic to hear that this is the man that the leadership of Swapo has approved to join Swapo. Dear members of the Politburo and Central Committee of Swapo, what are the reasons you are inviting Phil Ya Nangolo to Swapo? To humiliate Nujoma? To embarrass Swapo or to insult the intelligence of all peace-loving Namibians?” NEKA questions.
