Hertta-Maria Amutenja
Aletta Nguvauva, the Ovambanderu Paramount Chieftain, on Sunday, announced that she will not be supporting Swapo as her political party moving forward.
Nguvauva said her withdrawal from the party is attributed to a lack of development in the constituencies of Epukiro and Otjimbine.
Nguvauva, in a strongly worded statement said that the people of the two constituencies have been electoral fortresses for the party.
“My unwavering support and that of my people to the Swapo Party notwithstanding all these years, have not translated into tangible results in terms of development in the regions and areas my people inhabit predominantly the constituency of Epukiro and Otjimbine, which for long have been electoral fortresses for the Swapo Party of Namibia but with no development to show for their effort. In fact, there is little difference between us as bonafide members of Swapo non-members, and members of the opposition political parties in terms of the treatment we have been receiving from Swapo,” she said.
Nguvauva also alluded that the government has been belittling her by disregarding her as the official Paramount Chieftain of the Ovambanderu community.
“On the contrary, what the government has been continuing to do is denigrate if not belittle me as a leader like the case with the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) that has even refused to refer to me as per my official traditional designation of Paramount Chieftain. Preferring instead to call me Omwara, which can be translated to mean King’s wife, a blatant denigration of my official traditional designation and derogation as well as a travesty of the wishes of my people,” she stated.
Last year May, the Ovambenderu Traditional Council demanded that the NBC be brought to order in terms of how it addresses their leader, Aletta Nguvauva.
This came after the council reported the national broadcaster to media ombudsman, John Nakuta, saying Omurari FM – the Herero language station, prohibits the Ovambanderu community from regarding Nguvauva as the paramount chieftain, live on air.
The issue stemmed from the fact that the government does not recognise Nguvauva as a designated chief.
Nguvauva announced that her community has scheduled a meeting for later in the month, in Gobabis, where various community issues including her decision to resign from Swapo will be discussed.
“I have full confidence that my people shall endorse this action without hesitation because it has been their wish all along that sooner rather than later we as Ovambanderu must take a bold decision against the blatant disregard for and marginalization as a community by the Swapo Party of Namibia,” Nguvauva said.
