Shixwameni Irks State House

Nico Smit

20 June 2011

All People’s Party (APP) President Ignatius Shixwameni has been called to account by the Minister of Presidential Affairs Albert Kawana for statements he made at his party’s Central Committee Congress.

At Wednesday afternoon’s session of the National Assembly, Shixwameni presented to the members a letter which he had received from Kawana, dated June 14 2011, which refers to a statement he made earlier this month.

According to the letter, the APP President was addressing his Party’s Youth League when he “said that what is happening in North Africa, in particular in Egypt will happen in Namibia.”

Shixwameni is further requested to confirm the authenticity of such a statement and to provide the Presidential Affairs Minister with a copy of his written statement.

Shixwameni was however, addressing the APP’s Central Committee Congress at the time he was making the alleged statement.

Furthermore, the APP President said “it is time that we get angry and kick them out like (former Egypt President) Hosni Mubarak, their friend, it is time that we bring the reality to the rulers of this country that they are wasting our resources whilst they are basically feasting.”

Speaking in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Shixwameni said that the letter is tantamount to victimisation and intimidation, that he would not reply and tore the letter up before saying, “it belongs in the rubbish bin.”

The APP President said that he is under no legal or constitutional obligation account to either the Ministry of Presidential Affairs or State House, adding that if he had committed a crime, then the Presidential Affairs Minister should lay a charge with the police.

“Just as I was not afraid of victimisation and harassment of the Boers, and as I faced the Casspirs and the Buffels of the Apartheid regime, so shall I be unshakable, not afraid and not intimidated by my fellow blacks and former freedom fighters and colleagues just because they now call themselves the ruling party,” Shixwameni said.

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