ONDANGWA - Vice-president Nangolo Mbumba, rounding up campaigns for the Ondangwa Urban Constituency by-election last weekend, said Swapo candidate Leonard Negonga is better positioned to provide services to the community because of his affiliation to the governing party.
It would be a gamble to vote for candidates who have no political affiliation or track record of holding political office, Mbumba told his audience.
Ondangwa Urban is expected to hold the by-election for the new councillor this coming Saturday after its former councillor Elia Irimari was promoted to the position of governor of Oshana Region.
Last Sunday, Mbumba called upon the voters to go to the polls in masses and make sure former Ondangwa mayor Negonga wins.
Mbumba said unlike the opposing candidates, Negonga is a well-known politician and has a clear track record of projects that were successfully carried out during his time in charge of the town.
He said other candidates are promising the voters unrealistic things that they know are impossible to attain. According to him, being a member of the ruling party Negonga is in a better position to provide services to the community unlike the other candidates, some of whom have no political affiliation or track record.
Mbumba said that apart from projects that were carried out during Negonga’s tenure as a mayor of the town, Ondangwa recently won a prize of being the cleanest town in the country, maintaining that that was made possible as the town is being managed under the leadership of Swapo.
He said among other projects planned for Ondangwa is the long-awaited referral hospital. He added that communal farmers will also get government subsidies to ensure that some of their livestock survive the ongoing drought. During the drought season, government will also implement food for work programmes that will help communities to feed their families, while vulnerable community members will get food for free.
“The youth will get support for their welding, poultry, construction and other projects. Just talk to your councillors,” said Mbumba.
He added that Swapo has strong roots in Ondangwa, as it was where the workers who later went to form an uprising against colonialism were recruited.
“It will not make sense if the DTA [now PDM] candidate wins. How can you allow DTA, a party that worked and collaborated with the colonisers, to win? Yes, they may have changed their name but their colours remain the same, so they are DTA,” he said.
Negonga is up against independent candidate Angeline Immanuel, Asser Vincent (All People’s Party), Mandume Andreas (Congress of Democrats) and Johannes Martin (Popular Democratic Movement).