Tujoromajo Kasuto and Martin Endjala
Albert Kawana, Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, has called the media and social media critics ‘’polluted and malicious’’ for claiming that the Namibian President had any role in the Phala Phala Farm theft.
This comes after critics accused police of violating Namibian laws following the arrest of some Namibians and a South African national accused of stealing from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in the Limpopo Province and the alleged abduction and questioning of David Immanuel in Namibia by South African authorities.
The Minister in the National Assembly stated that there is no doubt that both social and print media misled the public in this case.
‘’My advice to the members of the public in Namibia is that whatever you read in social or print media about individuals, you must do so with a pinch of salt because our media is extremely polluted,’’ he claimed.
The minister further said the ‘’President is innocent and clean as per the comprehensive response by the Presidency. The Namibian Police is innocent and clean as per their comprehensive response.’’
He was adamant that the Chapter on this subject is closed, as Namibian laws are not the same as South African laws, and vice versa.
“Namibia is a sovereign State. It has its own laws and will never be subordinated to the laws of another State. We will never be the tenth province of South Africa, nor will we subject ourselves to the laws of South Africa”, Kawana reiterated.
Further saying, ‘’Our President has been falsely and maliciously accused of being a co-conspirator in the alleged kidnapping or abduction of David Immanuel from Namibia to South Africa. This allegation is nothing more than character defamation, malicious, and devoid of any truth,’’ he said.
In his statement, the minister attached copies of the court record as well as David Immanuel’s declaration as a prohibited immigrant to demonstrate that, contrary to speculation in both social and print media, action against Immanuel was taken in accordance with Namibian laws.
‘’Contrary to the unfounded allegations, the Police acted at all material times within the letter and spirit of the Namibian laws. No person was kidnapped or abducted from Namibia in furtherance of a foreign request which violated Namibian laws,’’ he said.
Therefore, he insisted that there are no grounds to either recall or impeach President Hage Geingob, saying these will remain wishful thinking.
