Swapo cautious over ‘donations’

JEMIMA BEUKES WINDHOEKFishrot-tainted Swapo yesterday cautioned its functionaries to ensure there are proper records of any donations to the party, as its watershed elective congress looms large.Party secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa told Swapo leaders to make sure their donation books are in order and that these books will be submitted to the party later this year for a proper audit to avoid these “bad pictures put on the face of our party”.Swapo is battling to regain what is left of its credibility after allegations that some of its 2017 congress campaigns received millions of dollars from the corrupt proceeds of the Fishrot bribery scandal.Shaningwa has consistently denied this and yesterday moved to reiterate her position when she said: “Our books are very clear and clean; the auditors have audited our books and should repeat this, that there are no questionable amounts of money that bought the headquarters of Swapo Party. Whatsoever questionable monies, they must go and follow the processes at court”. No breathing space for factionsThere is no place for groups and factions in Swapo ahead of this year’s watershed elective congress, Shaningwa warned yesterday.Delivering her annual address to party functionaries yesterday in Windhoek, Shaningwa said the party must go into congress – which will seek to find its next candidate for the country’s president – as a united front.Swapo has not recovered from the divisions emanating from the 2017 congress, where Team Swapo and Team Harambee factions battled for dominance of the former liberation movement.Singing like a canary, Shaningwa took aim at “wayward” party members whose behaviour has consistently tainted the party’s image.Headquarters self-paidShe also lashed out at critics who questioned the wisdom of constructing the party’s N$700 million headquarters in Katutura, saying the lavish building was funded by the party itself.According to her, the building was funded by the party’s company Kalahari Holdings and its subsidiaries, as well as individuals who contributed towards the construction.Meanwhile, she responded to public outcry over the lack of decent state health facilities while the governing party builds lavish party headquarters, saying it would be very difficult to turn it into a hospital.However, if Swapo is given time, surely they can “scratch their minds” to see that a hospital is built because the existing building does not have provisions necessary for a health facility.“We have the land available where the plants and equipment are. If that is the insistence of the people, that the Swapo Party must build a hospital, then so be it. We will see with whom the party can partner [with] to build a hospital. It is not about what we say, but what they demand,” she said. jemima@namibiansun.com

Swapo cautious over ‘donations’

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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Swapo cautious over ‘donations’

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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