‘Struggle children’ deny that they threw stones at RDP convoy

OSHAKATI – The “struggle children” who are camping at the Swapo Party office at Oshakati since March this year, denied that they threw stones towards a convoy of the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) on Saturday.

The “children” are demonstrating at the Swapo office, demanding employment and education opportunities.

Spokesperson of the group, Thomas Mahoka Johannes, told Nampa in the presence of other members of the leadership on Tuesday that members of his group did not trouble the RDP convoy of cars by throwing stones.

Johannes said members of his group stood on both sides of the road and only chanted Swapo slogans and sung liberation songs as the RDP convoy passed by.

Asked why the group lined up along the road, Johannes said they gathered along the road to show the RDP members that they still support the ruling Swapo Party, despite the fact that the party continues mistreating them.

“We only threw back the Oros bottles they threw at us first, and not stones as per newspaper reports,” the “struggle children” claimed.

They also accused the RDP members of apparently saying that they have lost their vision and that Swapo will never give them jobs. It is better that they join the RDP which has a vision to create job opportunities.

After their political rally, a convoy of many cars of RDP members was moving from the Oshakati Independence Stadium when the “children” and other Swapo members and supporters gathered along the Oshakati-Ongwediva main road near the Okandjengedhi bridge and attempted to block the road and cause havoc.

However, members of the Namibian Police (NamPol) who escorted the RDP convoy, managed to prevent the “children” and their companions from blocking the road.

NamPol members remained on the scene to maintain law and order until all cars in the convoy had crossed the bridge.

Meanwhile, Johannes confirmed that the leadership of the “struggle children” has expelled two fellow “children” who allegedly attended the RDP rally on Saturday at the Oshakati Independence Stadium.

“We were informed before that the two are supporters of the RDP and they even chanted ‘Viva RDP’ as the convoy passed by,” Johannes charged.

The two expelled “children” who are said to be young girls, have already vacated the Swapo office premises, even after arguing that they merely made jokes by chanting “Viva RDP”.