Swapo looks to ‘tech’ to lure youth
Swapo Party vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has urged party members to embrace technology in their quest to lure young voters to the party.
Speaking at a political rally over the weekend in Otjiwarongo, Nandi-Ndaitwah said: “Contemporary society has brought about different dynamics related to the type of voters we will have come election 2024.
“Those dynamics will bring in a good number of potential voters who will cast their votes for the first time. We must therefore understand them and address their expectations and find the most appropriate way to communicate with them. Of course, technology is there to facilitate such communication with our young people,” she said.
New language
The ruling party has long struggled to capture the youth vote, mostly relying on its traditional elderly support base to triumph at the polls.
Political analysts have for years argued that the party’s reliance on its liberation struggle credentials is a hampering factor in its quest to lure the youth. There have also been calls for the party to alter its campaign messages in order for them to resonate with the youth.
Serve citizens
But Nandi-Ndaitwah is of the view that liberation struggle credentials cannot simply be abandoned.
“There are some political detractors who do not want to hear us talk about our liberation struggle credentials. But we must be steadfast and defend the value of the sacrifices made by men and women of the soil who gave their precious lives to liberate our motherland from the yoke of the apartheid regime,” she argued.
She further called on party members deployed to government to prioritise service delivery by delivering effective and efficient services to improve the lives of the people.
“It is for this reason that every person deployed by the party or its government should serve the people of this country through his or her portfolio without fail. We are servant leaders and should thus seek to improve the lives of the people through quality provision of quality services,” she said.
'Political evil'
Nandi-Ndaitwah urged party members to guard against “political evils” during the run-up to next year’s polls.
“As we are gearing towards presidential and national assembly elections next year, we must get prepared to deal with all political evils. To be able to achieve a high yield of political gains, there are some evils that we must address. Among the most political evils we must fight head-on are tribalism, regionalism and corruption,” the VP cautioned.
She added: “It is unfortunate that after 33 years of our hard-won independence, there are still some misguided and disgruntled elements who are entertaining tribalism, regionalism and resort to corruption... tribalism, regionalism and corruption are enemies of our Swapo Party and our society that we must all fight against and defeat whatever the cost. We need to adopt without fear or favour a culture of ethical conduct within our nation, and it must start with you and me.”
Speaking at a political rally over the weekend in Otjiwarongo, Nandi-Ndaitwah said: “Contemporary society has brought about different dynamics related to the type of voters we will have come election 2024.
“Those dynamics will bring in a good number of potential voters who will cast their votes for the first time. We must therefore understand them and address their expectations and find the most appropriate way to communicate with them. Of course, technology is there to facilitate such communication with our young people,” she said.
New language
The ruling party has long struggled to capture the youth vote, mostly relying on its traditional elderly support base to triumph at the polls.
Political analysts have for years argued that the party’s reliance on its liberation struggle credentials is a hampering factor in its quest to lure the youth. There have also been calls for the party to alter its campaign messages in order for them to resonate with the youth.
Serve citizens
But Nandi-Ndaitwah is of the view that liberation struggle credentials cannot simply be abandoned.
“There are some political detractors who do not want to hear us talk about our liberation struggle credentials. But we must be steadfast and defend the value of the sacrifices made by men and women of the soil who gave their precious lives to liberate our motherland from the yoke of the apartheid regime,” she argued.
She further called on party members deployed to government to prioritise service delivery by delivering effective and efficient services to improve the lives of the people.
“It is for this reason that every person deployed by the party or its government should serve the people of this country through his or her portfolio without fail. We are servant leaders and should thus seek to improve the lives of the people through quality provision of quality services,” she said.
'Political evil'
Nandi-Ndaitwah urged party members to guard against “political evils” during the run-up to next year’s polls.
“As we are gearing towards presidential and national assembly elections next year, we must get prepared to deal with all political evils. To be able to achieve a high yield of political gains, there are some evils that we must address. Among the most political evils we must fight head-on are tribalism, regionalism and corruption,” the VP cautioned.
She added: “It is unfortunate that after 33 years of our hard-won independence, there are still some misguided and disgruntled elements who are entertaining tribalism, regionalism and resort to corruption... tribalism, regionalism and corruption are enemies of our Swapo Party and our society that we must all fight against and defeat whatever the cost. We need to adopt without fear or favour a culture of ethical conduct within our nation, and it must start with you and me.”
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