The opposition is bottling it

The Namibian electorate is fundamentally made up of two groups of voters: those for Swapo and those against it.

Those against Swapo are further fragmented between many formations and - in the context of next month’s election - 93 independent candidates. This is good news for Swapo, whose grip on power loosened last year.

Swapo vice-president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed discontent with the crowdedness of the political landscape but, in truth, this is a political goldmine for Swapo.

Hypothetically, even if the Swapo hegemony did not exist anymore, these elections do not require an absolute majority.

If a Swapo candidate scores 40% of the votes while the opposition and independent candidates share the remaining 60%, the former liberation struggle movement could still win.

When they are whipped in elections, the opposition turns its fury on voters and blames them for failure to dislodge the ruling party. Hardly do they ever reflect on how their own insatiable lust for power and refusal to work together have handed victory to Swapo on a silver platter.

Swapo has little to worry about this time, even as more Namibians feel the party has lost its appetite for service delivery.