Swapo’s discarded old guard plots comeback

A number of former lawmakers will be in the mix of things at the Swapo Party’s electoral college this weekend in a bid to return to the National Assembly.

When over 240 ruling party members converge at the Gateway Centre in Khomasdal – amid acute financial stress that forced it to converge in a venue unfamiliar to the luxurious Windhoek hotels that it is used to - for the opening of the highly emotive ‘Swapo pot’ on Saturday morning, familiar names will be on the list of candidates.

This time, the scramble for parliamentary seats is intense, because of the party’s waning electoral fortunes. It lost its two-thirds majority in 2019, after its seats in parliament plummeted from 77 in 2014.

Party insiders say the internal canvassing for votes is in full swing, with candidates courting delegates with dinners, promises of political favours and, in some instances, cash payments to secure votes.

Still got it

Several former ministers and deputy ministers feel they still have the knowledge, experience and energy to become parliamentarians.

At least five former ministers and deputy ministers have launched campaigns to return to the National Assembly after several terms away, as they feel the allure of an unfinished parliamentary job is a siren song they just cannot resist. They include former lands minister Alpheus !Naruseb, former defence deputy minister Lempy Lucas, former party secretary-general and justice minister Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, former deputy works minister Paulus Kapia and Tommy Nambahu, a former justice deputy minister.

Seasoned diplomat Kaire Mbuende is among those who feel they still have a lot to offer as a lawmaker.

After a 20-year parliamentary hiatus, he said: “This is a critical point in Namibian history and nation-building efforts and no one should be left out. All able-bodied Namibians should be brought in to build the nation”.

Mbuende, who was the campaign manager for Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah during the 2022 Swapo congress, has been touted as a potential candidate to land the country’s vice-president position should Nandi-Ndaitwah win the national presidential elections. The former foreign affairs deputy minister downplayed this during an interview with Namibian Sun yesterday.

“Positions are given only by one person. I have not been lobbying for any position and [Nandi-Ndaitwah] has not promised me any position. What position and what assignment, we will see in March next year. The scope for me is based on my experience and I believe we have done a lot as a country, but there are still challenges. We should mobilise all our resources. And even if we don't make it, we should not go back home and do nothing, but continue to build the nation,” Mbuende, who will celebrate his 71st birthday the day after the 27 November polls, said.

Unfinished business

Nambahu is also of the view that his political tank has not run empty yet.

“I was never a full minister. The country needs people with ideology. It does not mean all young people have an ideology. You see, many young people are fraudsters and are unethical. The ‘pot’ is like gambling. It really depends on what you are looking for in a candidate and what vision they have for the country,” he said.

“Most of us were kicked out by old ministers because they were afraid of our programmes. There were some who went there only with their own interest. We feel that it is unfinished business."

He added: "There are also those who are in the system; some youths might not have the necessary insight and critical mass and determination. The system is not working".

Not interested

But while some are fighting to return to parliament, others have voluntarily decided to bow out of the race.

It is understood that the Swapo secretariat has accepted notice from several prominent party members who declined their automatic nominations. These include works minister John Mutorwa, labour minister Doreen Sioka, agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein, Speaker of the National Assembly Peter Katjavivi, politburo member Sisa Namandje, Otjozondjupa regional coordinator Imms Namaseb and his Oshikoto counterpart Armas Amukwiyu, as well as Elia Kaiyamo, Namibia’s ambassador to China.

The party youth league and Swapo elders' council will each send six candidates for the pot, while the women's council will send 10 and the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) will send six.

Central committee members are automatically nominated as pot candidates, as are the current Swapo members of parliament, who have voting rights in the National Assembly.

There are also several prominent party members who fell along the way and will not be in the race for a spot on the list after they failed to obtain their required nominations during contests within party structures.

These include former health minister Dr Bernard Haufiku, former works deputy minister James Sankwasa, Oshana governor Elia Irimari, //Karas governor Aletha Frederick, unionist Phillip Munenguni and businessman Lazarus Jacobs.