SPYL divided over VP choice

Tuyeimo HaidulaONDOBEThe Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) must avoid endorsing one candidate at the party’s upcoming congress, as this would be against recently announced rules to promote unity during campaigns, some youth leaders said.

However, SPYL secretary Ephraim Nekongo, who is backing Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah for the vice-president position, said the “legacy must continue” in endorsing the party vice-president at congress.

Nekongo was quick to add that these are his personal views, but also remarked “we cannot go and invent a new wheel” in reference to the supposed Swapo tradition of endorsing the incumbent party vice-president ahead of congress.

President Hage Geingob has ignored that tradition by not backing Nandi-Ndaitwah.

Although Geingob has not publicly endorsed anyone, he is now believed to be silently supporting Pohamba Shifeta for the position.

The head of state is currently overseas with Shifeta – the only man in the race alongside Nandi-Ndaitwah and Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.

Namibian Sun understands Geingob introduced Shifeta to 16 heads of state, who were attending President João Lourenço’s inauguration in Angola last week, as his candidate.

The pair were in the United Kingdom yesterday to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and will proceed to the United States after that – further fuelling speculation that Geingob prefers Shifeta after the abrupt withdrawal of Frans Kapofi from the race last week.

SPYL to decide

Nekongo spoke to Namibian Sun on the sidelines of the Heroes Day commemoration at Ondobe in the Ohangwena Region last Saturday, where Nandi-Ndaitwah was the headline speaker.

He said: “At the moment, it is very difficult to say whether SPYL as an institution has a candidate [for the party vice-president race] or not. We’re still expected to meet in two weeks’ time and deliberate on this issue.

“Individuals have candidates - that is undeniable - but as an institution, we are still to identify and come up with that candidate. However, we have been speaking about continuing the legacy, so there might not be changes to our principles,” he said.

Nekongo added that the youth league would soon pronounce itself on the matter.

“We did it already with President Hage [Geingob] and we will continue doing it, to say the legacy should continue.

“We cannot go and invent a new wheel when we already know what we want from the onset,” he said.

Maintain unity

Nekongo’s remarks have been met with opposition from some of his comrades in the SPYL, who said the wing should not be used to back partisan campaigns.

Central committee member Willem Amutenya is among those who believe the choice must be left to individuals.

“By now, SPYL must have learnt from the events of 2017 which left us divided,” he said.

“To avoid the repeat of those unpleasant events, the party this time came up with rules of engagement to maintain unity.

“If we start rallying an entire wing, region or unions behind one candidate, it means we are sidelining other candidates and that is exactly how divisions start.

“All candidates are from our party, so we can’t use party structures to favour some. Let’s leave candidate choices to individuals,” he said.

His own capacity

New SPYL spokesperson Moses Sikerete said the league will decide its position when its national executive committee meets in the coming days.

“Comrade Nekongo was speaking in his own capacity. The youth league has no resolution on who to support,” Sikerete, who is believed to be among those who oppose supporting one candidate as a collective, said.

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