Venaani joins call for Nujoma’s removal

WINDHOEK, 12 JUN  – Leader of the official opposition, McHenry Venaani has joined the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) and National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) in calling for the firing of the Minister of Land Reform, Utoni Nujoma.
“Government should take stronger measures against Nujoma as he is one man who can take this country to war over the land issue,” the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) president warned.
Venaani in an interview with Nampa on Tuesday appealed to President Hage Geingob to intervene and call Nujoma to order, if not fire him for the controversial remarks he made on land ownership recently.
The PDM leader is of the view that Nujoma is not fit to run the ministry he is in charge of and that he should rather be transferred to another ministry if he is still considered fit to be a minister.
Nujoma on Monday apologised for his remarks, saying his message was taken out of context and that some parts of his speech were not aired at all.
PDM’s Chief whip and Member of Parliament, Vipua Muharukua echoed Venaani’s sentiments, saying Government has to do something to call Nujoma to order.
According to Muharukua, it is wrong for Government to be mute on this sensitive matter. He said the least government should do is rebuke him publicly, if not ask for an apology.
“All the wealth Nujoma has he acquired through public office, where he was put by those he labelled poor,” he said.
“It is absolutely wrong for Nujoma to put those people who put him first in the queue at the very end of the queue. He must remember that at a time, he was also poor,” he said.
In an interview aired last week by South African broadcaster eNCA, Nujoma said: “You cannot bring in a person from an informal settlement, put him there and hope that he will succeed to farm. We would like to resettle people who will really make a significant contribution to the GDP.”
“If you give a farm, a very expensive farm (for example) to a poor person, how will he run it?” he continued.
Nujoma was responding to eNCA’s investigative journalist, Nkepile Mabuse’s question on rich Namibians, including Cabinet ministers such as himself, being beneficiaries of the land reform programme ahead of the poor masses.
(NAMPA)