Ekandjo has ‘no regrets’ stepping aside for Geingob

Former Cabinet minister and Swapo veteran Jerry ‘Maudjuu’ Ekandjo says he has no regrets about stepping aside, at the urging of founding president Sam Nujoma in 2007, to make way for former president Hage Geingob in the race for the party's vice presidency.At the time, Ekandjo was at the zenith of his political prowess, and the liberation struggle stalwart was preparing to stand for the position of VP at the intraparty congress in 2007.But founding president Sam Nujoma had other ideas.He asked Ekandjo to stand down to pave the way for Hage Geingob’s return to the party’s top leadership, following Geingob’s departure as prime minister in 2002.At the time, all indications were that Ekandjo could become the party's next vice-president. Had he stood and won, he would have been catapulted into pole position to succeed then-party president Hifikepunye Pohamba.Ekandjo, who later lost two contests for the same position to Geingob, in 2012 and 2017, says his commitment to Swapo has always outweighed his personal political ambitions.'A calling'Speaking during an interview on The Agenda, which premiered on Sunday, Ekandjo recalled the events surrounding the 2007 Swapo congress.“It’s founding president Sam Nujoma who asked me not to stand,” Ekandjo said.He likened Swapo's development to the construction of a house, explaining that different people had contributed to building the party, from laying its foundation to completing the structure. In his view, no individual could claim sole ownership of what had been achieved collectively.“We build the house together. So if you say don’t paint here, I will not regret it,” he said.Ekandjo said his association with Swapo began when the party was only nine years old, at a time when membership demanded sacrifices that went far beyond the pursuit of political office.He recalled that some members had given their lives for the liberation struggle, while others continued working to build the organisation because they regarded their involvement as a calling rather than a means of securing leadership positions.“People sacrificed for the party; they gave their lives… It was a calling,” he said.Shared commitmentEkandjo rejected suggestions that his criticism of Swapo's leadership and government decisions stemmed from bitterness over missed political opportunities, arguing that those who helped establish the organisation had every reason to raise concerns about its direction.“If you pinpoint something, then the media or the people outside say you are pinpointing because you regret it or you want that position. No. That is not the case,” he said.“I am just pinpointing because it’s the party we built. When I joined the Swapo party, it was nine years old. But it’s now 60. It’s the party we build together. Not me [alone], but together with the comrades,” he said, adding: “That time, we were one.”He maintained that Swapo belonged to the generations of members who had built it together, including those who operated inside Namibia and those who continued the liberation struggle from exile.Ekandjo recalled that members working inside the country mobilised people to join the struggle despite knowing they faced South Africa's powerful military. Their confidence in achieving independence, he suggested, was rooted in a shared commitment that he believes could also help the party overcome its present difficulties.Turning to Swapo’s internal affairs ahead of the party’s next congress, Ekandjo criticised the prolonged absence of a substantive vice president, which he described as a violation of the party's constitution.He argued that the failure to respect the constitution had contributed to divisions and breakaway movements, warning that the organisation needed leadership capable of accommodating different views without undermining party unity.“All these breakaways are because of the violation of the party’s constitution. The party needs a strong, formidable leadership that can keep the different views of people together,” he advised.-edward@nmh-hub.com.na

Ekandjo has ‘no regrets’ stepping aside for Geingob

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-13

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Ekandjo has ‘no regrets’ stepping aside for Geingob

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-13

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