Day: April 22, 2024

RUNDU: The president of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) Bernadus Swartbooi said his party fires those in leadership roles when they are involved in corrupt practices, unlike the ruling party, Swapo.

Swartbooi made these statements during a rally the party held at Ndama in Rundu on Sunday.

‘In the areas the party is governing, when any of our leaders are involved in corrupt practices, we fire them immediately. People say we are an unstable party for doing so. However, we said if we do what Swapo is doing then we are not an honest party,’ he said.

LPM will not allow corruption by its leaders whether from local or regional authorities, he said.

When leaders misbehave they are either told to improve or leave the party.

‘In LPM, if you want to be corrupt, there is another party. Go to that party,’ he stated.

Swartbooi also mentioned that since the last elections in 2020, it has put young people (20 to 35-year-olds) in leadership roles, giving them the necessary attention through training to develop them
into responsible leaders of society.

‘We have said that we cannot postpone the tomorrow for young people. We must take young people without experience and develop society with them,’ he said.

His party, he noted has also developed close relationships with traditional authorities in order to understand the issues in traditional communities.

‘LPM has changed the politics of just wanting votes and each and every ethnic group is a core principle in the party. We have to develop proper leaders that must lead society. If we send leaders into society who do not have love for the people, then they will treat some people better and others not so good,’ he said.

Loving all Namibians equally keeps a leader humble, the party leader said, adding that no leader can come to people that they do not love and serve them honestly.

‘A loving leader will have sleepless nights if his people are hungry, jobless or without housing. He or she will work hard to find solutions to these problems because he or she loves his people.
This message of love is not just for the church but it’s of humanity,’ Swartbooi said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Gender equality, poverty eradication and social welfare Deputy Minister, Bernadette Jagger, called for a strong collaboration between all stakeholders to ensure that grants are used for their intended purpose, which is to uplift the most vulnerable out of extreme poverty.

Jagger, while launching a sensitisation campaign on the misuse of social grants at Omitara in the Omaheke region on Monday, called on traditional leaders, churches, regional leadership, the ministry’s staff and the Namibian Police Force to, as community representatives start policing social grants.

‘It is important to understand that the provision of social protection services is a fundamental human right, therefore policing the usage of social grants borders towards the abuse of these rights. No law prohibits or directs how social grant beneficiaries should disperse their money’, Jagger said.

Due to the lack of laws or policies to prohibit the misuse of grants, there is thus a need to have constant awareness campaigns and monitoring from
those close to beneficiaries.

In his remarks, Omaheke regional chairperson Igantius Kariseb who initiated the campaign said the initiative was prompted by complaints and concerns from the communities around the region and the whole of Namibia on how beneficiaries are misusing the little they are getting from the government, citing alcohol abuse as one of the main contributing factors to the misuse.

‘The situation on the ground in terms of social grants is disheartening, the government is trying its best for our people to at least get a social grant to improve their livelihood but by the look of things what we see in the region is not the optimal utilisation of these grants, therefore as regional leadership we came up with this initiative to sensitise our people’, Kariseb indicated.

The campaign, which kicked off on Monday, will reach all corners of the Omaheke region before it concludes on Saturday.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

RUNDU: Landless People’s Movement (LPM) President Bernadus Swartbooi said his party is the only one that has publicly disagreed with the budget that is given to towns such as Rundu.

Swartbooi made the remarks during a rally by his party, at Ndama Sewerage Soccer Field at Rundu on Sunday.

‘As we speak, we are also the only party that has said that a new and better building must be constructed for the Rundu Town Council because the building it is currently operating from is dilapidated,’ he said.

Councillors in the Kavango East Region he said are just focused on how well they are dressed instead of finding solutions to the problems in the region.

‘Teachers are not employed and the region is starving as they talk about how expensive the shoe they are wearing is,’ he said.

Swartbooi said in towns where his party is governing, LPM has brought electricity to areas and people that need it most.

The party leader further boasted about the party having the youngest councillors, and mayors in the country.

‘The pa
rty is also making sure that we are bringing women up and we are re-equipping and re-tooling them,’ he said.

He accused a certain political party of receiving funds from the Europeans for paying people N.dollars 200 to join them and then doing nothing for the people afterwards.

Swartbooi encouraged the gathering to take money or food given to them by other political parties but urged them to vote for LPM on 27 November 2024.

‘If the government gives you food, take the food. If they give you money from any other party, take the money and then go vote for LPM,’ he said

The LPM leader called on Namibians in the two Kavango regions to start making a change by exercising their power and voting for a different political party such as LPM.

‘Go and register on 03 June but before that make sure you have your identification card to get a new voters card,’ Swartbooi said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency