Martin Endjala
The Swapo secretary general, Sophia Shaningwa, said a recent meeting between her and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa was not secretive but part of their bilateral relationship.
This follows last week’s reports that Mnangagwa met in secret with prominent members of the ruling party in Namibia.
“Why was our meeting termed secret and whose opinion made it secret? Those insinuations smell like hatred towards Swapo and Zanu-PF. Our bilateral relationship is not a secret and your informers must stop causing confusion,” she argued.
She said the bilateral relationship between Swapo and Zanu-PF will continue.
Shaningwa stated that the two countries would maintain their relationship.
The meeting also included Zanu-PF’s secretary general Obert Mpofu.
The meeting raised concerns about potential election rigging in Namibia.
Zanu-PF announced on its social media page that the SWAPO secretary-led delegation was in Zimbabwe to interact and exchange notes with the Zimbabwean ruling party at a time when Namibia is getting ready for elections later this year.
Zimbabwean media reported that Shaningwa praised Zanu PF for its resistance to “Western machinations”.
She described Zanu-PF as a strong force in defending African countries’ hard-won independence.
“We are now heading for the November elections. Zanu-PF is, of course, a team to be reckoned with. They have the expertise and they have the knowledge and therefore we cannot get into the elections without talking to Zanu PF,” said Shaningwa.
According to media reports, Shaningwa also emphasised the importance of solidarity among former liberation movements in the face of foreign interference and the funding of opposition parties.
The delegation expressed concern over the recent loss of majority for the ANC in the recent elections in South Africa, seeing it as a concerning trend for former liberation movements.
“The ANC experience in South Africa is a sad development. But we are not going to let the ANC down. It is our sister party and we will re-assemble and come back as secretary generals to analyse the situation and see how we can re-strengthen ourselves for the survival of the ANC going forward,” said Shaningwa.
