AR accuses sport ministry of woefully underperforming
By Clifton Movirongo.
The Affirmative Repositioning Movement issued a response to the Minister of Sport, Youth, and National Service, Hon. Agnes Tjongarero, after the latter announced last week that the government will not be able to fulfill the financial obligations required to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Botswana, and has pulled out.
The movement’s acting spokesperson, George Kambala, on Friday said in a statement that despite being appointed to a position meant to champion the interests of young people, the Minister of Youth has been “woefully” underperforming.
“The AR Movement notes with great concern the underperformance of the 77-year-old meteorite Minister of Sport, Youth, and National Service, Tjongarero, who continues to show the Namibian young people a middle finger despite giving her some benefit of the doubt,” Kambala stated.
He said his party is tired of being ignored and neglected by the “current grandmother” Minister of Youth. “We demand that either the President recall the minister and consider someone relatively young or else she must step down from her position to allow someone more capable and committed to the needs of young people to take over, or we will escort her out of office through mass action,” he said.
He added that they believe the Minister of Youth should be someone with a clear understanding of the challenges facing young people and willing to work tirelessly to address them.
In addition, he emphasized that the lack of progress regarding youth development has been a “cause for concern for many of us.” He said they’ve watched as the minister failed to deliver on key promises to young people, such as providing better education, healthcare, and employment opportunities.
He added: “As young people, we are the future of our nation. We are the ones who will be inheriting the country and taking it forward into the future. As such, it is essential that they hear our voices and that we are given a fair say in the decisions that are made today. Unfortunately, this has not been the case under the leadership of the current Minister of Youth.
Her latest withdrawal from the initial plan to co-host AFCON 2027 with Botswana, among other things, such as skyrocketing unemployment rate among the youth and our national soccer team playing its home games in South Africa, has depleted our benefit of the doubt given to her. Another failure is her accountability to the N$50 million budget for the renovation of Independence Stadium, which remains a ghost infrastructure to date.”
Earlier this month, Hon Tjongarero confirmed that the Facilities Audit Report indicated that N$4.8 billion is needed for upgrading sport infrastructure.
“The future of our nation depends on the actions taken today, and we cannot afford to have leaders who are not up to the task of shaping a better tomorrow. It is time for a change, and we demand it now,” Kambala concluded.
