Separating contenders from pretenders

A picture of the future is emerging – but the light is not yet bright enough to see who President Hage Geingob will hand the instruments of power to on 21 March 2025.

But as the sun descended into the Atlantic Ocean yesterday, one strong possibility stood out: A woman is likely to emerge as Namibia’s next head of state.

At a nail-biting politburo meeting held yesterday to nominate candidates for the top four, party backbencher Tobie Aupindi rose to nominate Saara Kuugogelwa-Amadhila. As adversaries of the prime minister bowed their head in prayer that no secondment would back Aupindi’s idea of the country’s next head of state, grey-bearded Calle Schlettwein stood and gave his backing to Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, his erstwhile boss at treasury.

And that’s all it takes. A nomination and a secondment, then one is officially in contention.

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila accepted the vote of confidence and will not take on incumbent party president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who did not need nominations by virtue of being already in the position.

For secretary-general, incumbent Sophia Shaningwa did not need nomination.

Namibian ambassador to the United States Magaret Mensah-Williams flew in to nominate Oshikoto regional coordinator Armas Amukwiyu to that position. A clean-shaven environment minister Pohamba Shifeta – who himself is understood to harbour ambitions for the vice-presidency – stood to second Amukwiyu as incoming secretary-general.

Those who had written off former education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa because of the corruption conviction albatross around her neck were reminded again that she is not the kind who goes down without a fight.

Yesterday, she emerged from her political wilderness to haunt her detractors when she stood to nominate Evelyn Nawases-Tayele for deputy secretary-general, a move seconded by Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.

Khomas regional governor Laura McLeod-Katjirua rose to nominate Lucia Witbooi for the same position, getting the secondment from deputy minister of works, Veikko Nekundi.

Little-known Kavango West region coordinator David Hamutenya is also in the hunt for the deputy secretary-general spot after being nominated by his regional governor Sirkka Ausiku and seconded by Aupindi. Insiders see Hamutenya as a ‘spoiler’ thrown in the race for strategic reasons.

Geingob’s silent support

As comrades were leaving the nomination venue, two camps were as clear as daylight. The word ‘slate’, despised after the damage it did to Swapo at the emotionally-charged congress of 2017, may have been scrapped from party vocabulary, but its imprint was there for all to see.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, Shaningwa and Witbooi make up one slate, while Kuugongelwa-Amadhila is bedfellows with Amukwiyu and Nawases-Tayele. The latter group, according to insiders, enjoys the silent support of Geingob.

The president has stated that he will not endorse anyone, saying democracy requires fair competition.

Utoni Nujoma, dubbed the bundle of joy of the nation by his adversaries, left the room limping like a wounded buffalo. His nomination for secretary-general by gender minister Doreen Sioka did not receive secondment.

But all is not lost. On Saturday, the central committee will make further nominations and secondments – which could stretch out the list of contenders... and pretenders.

Goodbyes

At the same occasion, police minister Albert Kawana, Schlettwein, Sioka and National Assembly speaker Peter Katjavivi informed their comrades that they are heading into retirement and will not avail themselves for any further positions in the party.