Stefanus Nashama
On Saturday, police in Outapi arrested two men suspected to be Swapo members for attempted murder after hitting members of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) with a car.
The victims were some of the IPC members who were preparing to attend the opening of the party office in Outapi.
One of the victims, Hendrick Shekundja, confirmed the incident, saying he and another party were standing next to the road near Marura Tree Station Bar when the suspect drove into a crowd of IPC members.
“I heard a sound, and the next moment, I saw myself on the ground, and I could not stand up because my kneecap was dislodged. I was also bleeding,” he said.
Shekundja claims he received care at the Outapi district hospital five hours after the incident.
“The doctor only came to see me at 15h00 after being in the hospital since 11h00. The worst part is that I was in pain and I was told that the recommended pain injection was not available and that it ran out almost two weeks ago.
I left the hospital at 18h30 with paracetamol. They also told me the person responsible for X-rays had gone home. The nurses told me to come back on Sunday if I was feeling any pain. I’m from Okalongo, and they expect me to travel another 40 kilometres if I’m still in pain. I didn’t sleep; my chest is in pain, and I have been taking the paracetamol they gave me,” he said.
The suspect was arrested and is expected to appear before the Outapi Magistrate’s Court this week.
According to the reports, the suspect was furious that the IPC members were assembling at his bar.
The IPC’s leader, Panduleni Itula condemned the incident, urging other political parties to caution their members not to interfere in the exercise of the political rights of citizens.
“IPC condemns these barbaric, undemocratic acts. No tree or area in Namibia can be claimed by any person through the hoisting of a political flag. Such hoisting of political flags by Swapo whenever IPC exercises our constitutional right amounts to political intimidation and cannot be tolerated in a civilised country,” he stressed.
Itula said that Swapo could not even bother to condemn such anti-democratic acts by its members, let alone implicitly instigate such a mode of political campaign.
“Such violent conduct is likely to tarnish our otherwise unique great atmosphere of political tolerance as a nation,” he stated.
He commended the IPC members for not taking the law into their own hands in both incidents.
“The outcome of both drivers who attempted to injure and cause grievous bodily harm and, indeed, death, could have been worse,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from Omusati regional coordinator, Sacky Kayone, were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
The Windhoek Observer wanted to confirm if the suspects are indeed members of the Swapo.
Meanwhile, IPC went ahead and opened its first office in the Omusati region.
According to Itula, IPC members donated the office as part of a regional project.
“IPC is proud to have been donated an office building complete with three flag poles for both our party flag and emblem, and we shall be seeking a mandate from the relevant authority to be granted authority to hoist our national flag as a lawfully registered political party with representation at various government levels,” said Itula.
He said the office was the first non-movable asset that would enter the books of IPC.
“This is the first non-movable asset that shall enter the books of IPC, entirely donated by a member of IPC and his family,” he stated.
According to Itula, the party has not received the complete cost of the construction or the value of the property.
“We shall seek to evaluate its value to allow us to account for such in terms of Sections 139 to 142 of the Electoral Act, Act 6 of 2014. The value is unlikely to exceed N$4 million, the threshold at which the regulatory authority of the ECN obliges political parties to notify such donations,” he said.
Itula describes the office as a demonstration of political presence under the democratic constitution.
He further stated that the office will provide party services to IPC members.
“This is a significant achievement of political presence as we demonstrate our democratic constitutionalism in a free republic where freedom of association and forming of the political party are fundamental rights,” he stressed.
The office is situated in Omukoko village, along the road from Outapi to Tsandi.
Political analyst Erika Thomas said it is a discouraging incident and riot.
She stated that such violence undermines democracy and human rights, and disrupts society.
“These individuals have made themselves guilty maybe by achieving some political goals by other political parties. Such type of violence should be avoided. It can be dangerous to tolerate such kind of behaviour,” said Thomas.
She said the law should deal with the culprits so that it would be an example to others to avoid a repetition of the sad incident.
