'Team Swapo'unleashes storm

JEMIMA BEUKES



The Swapo succession battle is certainly going to be a vigorous and messy affair in the weeks leading up to the elective congress next month.

The battle has surely intensified following yesterday’s joint campaign launch by seven of the eleven confirmed candidates for the Swapo top four positions.

Party veterans Nahas Angula and Jerry Ekandjo, who are contesting the Swapo presidency, appear to have formed an alliance alongside with their running mates in order to fend off a strong challenge from acting president Hage Geingob and his preferred candidates, who included deputy prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Sophia Shaningwa (secretary-general) and Marco Hausiku (deputy secretary-general).

The vice-presidency candidates in the ‘Team Swapo’ camp include home affairs minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana and former cabinet minister Helmut Angula.

For the secretary-general position, Oshikoto regional coordinator Armas Amukwiyu is the preferred candidate, while businesswoman Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun and former health deputy minister Petrina Haingura are both contesting the deputy secretary-general position.

Swapo veteran and former party secretary-general Ngarikutuke Tjiriange delivered the campaign message on behalf of the candidates at a packed Swapo headquarters yesterday.

The group pulled no punches and took on the current administration, accusing it of violating the party’s constitution. It also noted with great concern “the systematic degradation and erosion of our party’s core values and principles that are being trampled upon”.

“There have been blatant violations of our party’s constitution which, if allowed to continue, will pose an existential threat to our party as what has happened to previous ruling parties like UNIP in Zambia,” Tjiriange.

“If measures are not taken then the Swapo of Sam Nujoma, Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo, Hifikepunye Pohamba, Nathanael Maxuilili, Hendrik Witbooi and Moses Garoeb, just to mention a few, will become unrecognisable.” They further emphasised that Swapo is not a “club” or “personality cult”.

“It must be made clear that in Swapo there is no automatic transfer of power; power is only attained through democratic process,” said Tjiriange.

He added that no “intimidation” or “coercion” would be allowed and strongly condemned “bribery” of delegates to the congress.

The group also took a swipe at outgoing secretary-general Nangolo Mbumba, accusing him of abusing his office to discriminate against certain members and violate the party constitution at will.

“The erstwhile expulsion of our youth leaders was an embarrassing example of the consequences of a lack of accountability and respect for the party’s rules and disciplinary procedures by the top three leaders in the party,” said Tjiriange.

He was referring to the high-profile case involving youth leaders Elijah Ngurare, Job Amupanda, Dimbulukeni Nauyoma and George Kambala, who last year won a court case against the party following their expulsion in 2015.

They were kicked out of the party for occupying land in Windhoek’s Kleine Kuppe residential area, while Ngurare was expelled for supporting their Affirmative Repositioning movement.

Arrest junk status

The group yesterday strongly rejected talks about one centre of power, saying it has a direct effect on government.

They emphasised that the party is the centre of power which deploys its cadres to national, regional and local government structures.

“It is worrying to note that recently the Namibian economy has been relegated to junk status. The current leadership has met this classification with denials and academic debates,” the group stated.

Angula said when he was in government the country’s credit rating was not classified as junk.

“We are our own keepers. I can tell you from junk status [the] next step we will go to failed status. So Swapo is the only party that can rescue the county from economic collapse,” he said.

Iivula-Ithana added that the decision to implement the food bank project was partly to blame for the economic crisis.

She also questioned why the current leadership in government was “hiding the true information” from the party regarding the state of the economy.

“This is the time that we must tell the truth and tighten the belt. How can you have food banks when you cannot have food yourself? Giving able-bodied persons food from the shops worked for by other people is sinful,” she said.

Namundjebo-Tilahun said they were the “people that the nation has been waiting for”.

According to her, Team Swapo is dedicated to bringing about economic emancipation and transformation.

Amukwiyu questioned Mbumba’s conduct, saying he had taken sides when he should have remained neutral and treated all members fairly.

Helmut Angula was not present at the press conference but a statement was read on his behalf by Dr Panduleni Itula.

“I have no doubt that despite concerted efforts by others to coerce delegates to abrogate their constitutional right of choosing their leader, the committed party legitimate delegates to the party’s sixth congress will use their conscience and exercise their own democratic right without coercion,” he said.