Mumbala defends ‘go to hell’ gaffe
KEETMANSHOOP – Swapo’s //Kharas coordinator Matheus Mumbala has come out defending President Hage Geingob who was overheard saying “they must go to hell” during the opening of a recent central committee meeting.
Mumbala said Geingob was referring to those individuals whose agenda is to tarnish the party’s name, instead of members of its central committee (CC) during the meeting of the body last Saturday.
“Itisherebymycalltomedia institutions, in particular, The Namibian newspaper and commercial radio station, Eagle FM to refrain from publishing or broadcasting wrong information aimed at tarnishing the name of President Hage Geingob,”
he warned.
Mumbala said he can attest to the fact that the Swapo president instead referred to some members of CC to be vigilant in their conduct. He added that these members referred to are the ones who allow the name of the party to be tarnished by others without doing anything about it.
“The opposition in the country who claim that Swapo lost its power through not attaining a two-thirds majority should please get their facts in order,” said the politician. He added that Swapo succeeded in getting 63 seats during the last elections, the majority, and are thus still in power by virtue of having the most seats in the National Assembly. The regional coordinator also said by having this majority, Swapo is still in political control, being able to make laws and pass bills by means of a majority vote.
“A person in the calibre of President Geingob will never tell CC members of Swapo to ‘go to hell’,” he said. Mumbala continued high-ranking party members like founding President Sam Nujoma and former President Hifikepunye Pohamba are also members of the CC list and for Geingob to be labelled as insulting them is devoid of any truth.
In a media statement released by State House, press secretary Alfredo Hengari said the comment was not meant for CC members, and that Geingob was responding to another issue raised with him on the side.
“Contrary to false allegations, at no point did the President say to members of the central committee to ‘go to hell’. As a matter of fact, the President was responding to another issue that was raised with him on the side, and the response was in reference to that,” according to the statement.