nujoma lashes out at whites, neo-colonialists and the c.o.d

Oswald Shivute, Okatana - The Namibian (Windhoek)

May 26, 2004: President Sam Nujoma has again lashed out at Namibians who he said were collaborating with white people that wanted to recolonise the country and warned that they would be dealt with fearlessly.

Addressing and Africa Day rally at Okatana, near Oshakati, Nujoma also slammed Congress of democrats (CoD) leader Ben Ulenga accusing him of being gay and described CoD councillors in Oshakati as homosexuals.

President Nujoma said it would be very sad to see some Africans or some Namibians collaborating with those whites who wanted to recolonise Africa or Namibia.

"White people, not all of them, are snakes and we have to be careful of them as they want to recolonise us, as the Americans and the British want to do in Iraq and elsewhere...," Nujoma said to ululation and applause from the crowd.

The President reminded the crowd that it was at Okatana where he addressed Namibians soon after returning from exile in 1989 and had said Swapo would win, would rule Namibia and would bring peace and stability as it had done.

He added that it was also at this place where he said a spirit of reconciliation would be brought to Namibia and this was also done.

Nujoma then lashed out at Ben Ulenga, CoD president, saying he was a coward and a homosexual without a vision.

"Let me tell you, when Ben Ulenga was a Deputy Minister in Regional, Local Government and Housing, he came to me, asking me that he wanted long leave to study abroad. I told him that he could not get long study leave, as it is not allowed by Government regulations. I therefore offered for him a Foreign Mission post in Britain. But when he went there, he started drinking and to be useless, a gay (eshenge). He went to the white people to yi ke mu ende komatako [be taken from behind]. He then came back and formed a political party, the CoD, without a vision.

"I understand, in Oshakati Town Council, there is a CoD councillor. How did you allow him to come in? How did you elect eshenge to come in your midst?" Nujoma asked.

Reacting to allegations levelled against him, Ulenga yesterday said: "Normally Sam [Nujoma] gets into some demented acts... it all sounds like an old man whose sense has completely deserted him."

He declared that the CoD would not leave control of Namibia to the "likes of Nujoma" indefinitely: "We shall intervene to ensure that Namibians get an alternative for how they would like to be governed."