Swapo insiders warn of campaign 'paralysis' in Katima

Sources within Swapo in the Zambezi region say the fallout following the removal of four Katima Mulilo councillors in August has left the party’s local campaign machinery “paralysed and divided” ahead of next week’s elections, with new candidates struggling to mobilise.According to the sources, no senior Swapo leaders assigned to the region have engaged the removed councillors or attempted to align them with incoming candidates. “Since the removal, no one from leadership has come to unify the structures. The new candidates are on their own, and the old leadership feels they were purged by minister Sankwasa,” the insider claimed.Several candidates reportedly fear the party could lose seats or even control of the Katima Mulilo Town Council due to the disconnection between regional leadership, district structures and the sidelined councillors who once anchored mobilisation in the constituency.The party has also not held a star rally in Katima, leaving campaign visibility “almost non-existent,” the source added.The four councillors removed by urban and rural development Sankwasa James Sankwasa in August – John Ntemwa, Lister Shamalaza, Namangolwa Sitali-Mapenzi and Christina Simanga – hold significant positions within Swapo’s Katima Mulilo urban structures. Leadership vacuum Shamalaza serves as district coordinator and Sitali-Mapenzi as district treasurer, while Ntemwa and Simanga chair key branches. Their absence from campaign operations has created a leadership vacuum, sources argue. A letter dated 7 August from the Swapo secretariat shows that the political bureau resolved that, should government dissolve the Katima Mulilo Town Council, the removed councillors would be automatically disqualified from contesting the November elections.The letter instructs the acting regional coordinator to communicate this decision to the affected members through the regional executive committee.However, it remains unclear whether this communication ever took place or whether the affected councillors were formally informed of their disqualification. Efforts to reach the acting regional coordinator were unsuccessful.Concerns dismissed When contacted by Namibian Sun this week, Ntemwa dismissed concerns about stalled mobilisation, saying those raising the alarm “should report to the SG, not the media”.He added that a Swapo election campaign was launched, including on-the-ground work, door-to-door activities and mini rallies. He criticised the relevance of the story, adding: “If I were you, I wouldn’t cover that, because it’s just rubbish. There are better stories we should give you. Proper stories... We are on the ground.”#namibiadecides2025phillipus@nmh-hub.com.na

Swapo insiders warn of campaign 'paralysis' in Katima

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-09

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Swapo insiders warn of campaign 'paralysis' in Katima

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Namibian Sun 2026-01-09

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