Allexer Namundjembo
The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) says it will not retract comments made by its leader, Bernadus Swartbooi, about health minister Dr Esperance Luvindao.
During a press briefing held on Tuesday in Windhoek, Swartbooi referred to the minister as a “Congolese” while criticising the use of artificial intelligence in the health sector.
The Swapo Party Youth League responded in a statement on Wednesday, calling the remarks “xenophobic and defamatory”.
The statement, issued by Youth League secretary Ephraim Nekongo, said Swartbooi’s comments were “unjustified and inflammatory”, factually flawed, and dangerously divisive.
“We acknowledge and fully uphold the democratic principle that opposition parties must hold the government accountable, but we reject in the strongest possible terms the malicious tone, misleading content, and reckless intent of Swartbooi’s statement,” Nekongo said.
“We will not stand by while leaders, especially women in leadership, are subjected to public bullying or unfounded attacks,” he added.
LPM Khomas regional youth leader Junia Kaindjee defended Swartbooi’s remarks and rejected the Youth League’s accusations.
“This is a poorly constructed and intellectually hollow attempt to silence legitimate political criticism,” Kaindjee said.
He argued that the comments were not xenophobic.
“If they claim Dr Luvindao is Namibian, where is the xenophobia? She is born Namibian, yes, but her ancestry is Congolese. That is a fact that can’t be denied. Xenophobia is defined differently, and conceptually, it cannot be exercised against a fellow citizen. Truth is not hate; it is accountability,” he said.
Kaindjee said the LPM would not back down.
“We will not apologise. We will not retract, and we will not stop until justice, truth, and dignity belong to every young Namibian,” he said.
He also called on the Swapo Party to review what he called “tribalistic policies” that exclude other ethnic groups.
“They must change. Unity cannot be built through exclusion and ethnic favouritism,” he said.
Dr Luvindao was born in Namibia to parents who immigrated from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
