Itula

With voter registration kicking off countrywide yesterday until 1 August, Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) leader Dr Panduleni Itula predicted that his party will win by an absolute majority in November, while the ruling party Swapo’s share of the vote will decline to about 29%.

He made the remarks after registering as a voter in Katutura yesterday.

Asked about the possibility of Swapo facing a similar fate to South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC), which saw president Cyril Ramaphosa hanging on to his job by his fingernails following last week’s election, Itula was bullish about his party’s prospects, while painting a gloomy picture for the former liberation movement.

Itula stood as an independent presidential candidate in 2019, ironically gaining 29% compared to the 56% garnered by the Swapo candidate, the late Hage Geingob. Having been booted out of Swapo soon after, Itula and like-minded people formed IPC, which captured particularly the Erongo Region in the 2020 regional and local authority elections. The party also did well in Windhoek, where it gained four seats on the city council, while Swapo scooped five.

Lacking strategy

For the 2024 election, Namibian Sun understands that IPC has enlisted the services of Shikamo Political Advisory and Campaign Services, the firm credited with parachuting Lesotho businessman Sam Matekane to the position of prime minister in 2022.

The company provides skills and expertise to parties and candidates on how to run a winning campaign. It reportedly received a payment of N$100 000 in December for its work with IPC.

These revelations have frustrated Swapo technocrats, who feel the party’s campaigns ahead of the election are poorly run and ‘lack strategy’. Messaging is particularly perceived to be poor in the campaign of candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is being urged to include more details of her plan for Namibia in her campaign materials.

Itula yesterday said he was confident IPC will win by a ‘landslide’ in the upcoming election and will become the country’s governing party.

Talking to Namibian Sun, he said: “I will not be surprised if Swapo receives only 29% of the votes, with the rest going to other parties. We will form a new government and ensure that the IPC cabinet comprises Namibians of merit, regardless of their political affiliation, as long as they serve the Namibian people”.

Register to vote

Swapo spokesperson Hilma Nicanor said while there are obvious challenges in the country, Swapo remains committed to retaining its dominance in the upcoming elections.

“South Africa and Namibia are different countries altogether, with dissimilar mandates. Swapo, for sure, you can take my word for it, is not doubtful for the next elections. We are saying this knowing that we are seriously going out there and making sure that we defend the gains of our revolution,” she noted.

Meanwhile, emphasising the importance of registering to vote, Itula said the right to vote and choose leaders and political parties is a fundamental responsibility for everyone. “We must honour the sacrifices made during the resistance against the Germans and the fight for our country’s liberation from the 1960s onward. To do this, we must register to vote and participate in elections. The future is bright, and I urge young Namibians to vote and contribute to a future they can be proud of.”

President Nangolo Mbumba registered as a voter in Olympia yesterday. He spoke about the importance of democracy and thanked South Africans for being an example for other African nations by voting in a peaceful manner last week.

Mbumba said Namibian citizens must emulate South Africa and vote in peace and unity. He added that citizens are the ‘owners’ of the country and they decide the fate of the person holding office by either re-electing them or throwing them out of office.

However, he cautioned that this does not grant them the right to destroy the country during elections. “While they [citizens] enjoy the rights enshrined in the constitution, they must remember that the elections do not come to destroy the country, but renew the mandate of those who represent the people in parliament, regional councils and local authority councils.”