Shaningwa orders Swapo MPs to photograph their ballots
Swapo secretary general Sophia Shaningwa has instructed the party’s members of parliament to take photographs of their completed ballots during the ongoing elections of parliamentary standing committee leaders – an extraordinary move aimed at preventing defections following a recent internal upset.
Shaningwa summoned the MPs on Wednesday and told them to prove their loyalty by photographing their votes in the booth and sending the images to her directly. The unprecedented directive follows the surprise election of Utaara Mootu of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) as deputy chairperson of the influential standing committee on international relations, defence and security.
Mootu edged out Swapo’s candidate, 22-year-old Fenny Tutjavi – parliament’s youngest MP – despite Swapo holding a numerical advantage on the 24-member committee. With one Swapo member, Uahekua Herunga, absent, the ruling party still had 12 MPs present. However, Mootu won the vote 12 to 11, suggesting that at least one Swapo MP broke ranks and voted with the opposition.
The incident has sparked outrage within Swapo’s parliamentary caucus, with some members branding the unidentified defector a “Judas Iscariot” who betrayed both the party and its supporters.
“You need to get the full gist to appreciate what is happening after the Utaara incident,” a senior Swapo leader said on condition of anonymity, confirming that the defeat was viewed as a serious breach of party discipline.
To prevent a recurrence, Shaningwa’s directive aims to ensure MPs toe the party line during the remaining committee elections.
Approached for comment, Shaningwa declined to elaborate on the instruction, saying only that the MPs understood the context of her firm approach.
IPC slams ‘rubber stamp’ parliament
Meanwhile, the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has condemned Swapo’s grip on parliamentary committees, arguing that the ruling party has effectively neutralised legislative oversight by dominating nearly all committee leadership roles.
In a statement released by IPC chief whip Rodney Cloete, the party criticised the fact that only one of the 11 National Assembly committees – the public accounts committee – is chaired by an opposition member, and even that role is undermined by a Swapo-appointed deputy.
“Let’s call it what it is: committee capture,” the statement read. “When the referee wears the same jersey as the player, the game is rigged. Oversight becomes theatre, not substance.”
Cloete pointed to Rule 14 of the standing rules and Articles 59 and 63 of the Namibian Constitution, which require parliament to exercise independent oversight of the executive. He said Swapo’s near-total control of committee leadership violates these provisions and undermines democratic checks and balances.
“This monopolisation of oversight is not just bad optics, but a direct assault on the democratic principle of accountability,” Cloete said, warning that parliament risks devolving into a “rubber stamp” institution serving the very government it is meant to hold to account.
The IPC concluded by urging broader reforms to ensure that committee leadership more accurately reflects Namibia’s multiparty legislature, calling on parliament to uphold the integrity of its watchdog function.
Shaningwa summoned the MPs on Wednesday and told them to prove their loyalty by photographing their votes in the booth and sending the images to her directly. The unprecedented directive follows the surprise election of Utaara Mootu of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM) as deputy chairperson of the influential standing committee on international relations, defence and security.
Mootu edged out Swapo’s candidate, 22-year-old Fenny Tutjavi – parliament’s youngest MP – despite Swapo holding a numerical advantage on the 24-member committee. With one Swapo member, Uahekua Herunga, absent, the ruling party still had 12 MPs present. However, Mootu won the vote 12 to 11, suggesting that at least one Swapo MP broke ranks and voted with the opposition.
The incident has sparked outrage within Swapo’s parliamentary caucus, with some members branding the unidentified defector a “Judas Iscariot” who betrayed both the party and its supporters.
“You need to get the full gist to appreciate what is happening after the Utaara incident,” a senior Swapo leader said on condition of anonymity, confirming that the defeat was viewed as a serious breach of party discipline.
To prevent a recurrence, Shaningwa’s directive aims to ensure MPs toe the party line during the remaining committee elections.
Approached for comment, Shaningwa declined to elaborate on the instruction, saying only that the MPs understood the context of her firm approach.
IPC slams ‘rubber stamp’ parliament
Meanwhile, the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has condemned Swapo’s grip on parliamentary committees, arguing that the ruling party has effectively neutralised legislative oversight by dominating nearly all committee leadership roles.
In a statement released by IPC chief whip Rodney Cloete, the party criticised the fact that only one of the 11 National Assembly committees – the public accounts committee – is chaired by an opposition member, and even that role is undermined by a Swapo-appointed deputy.
“Let’s call it what it is: committee capture,” the statement read. “When the referee wears the same jersey as the player, the game is rigged. Oversight becomes theatre, not substance.”
Cloete pointed to Rule 14 of the standing rules and Articles 59 and 63 of the Namibian Constitution, which require parliament to exercise independent oversight of the executive. He said Swapo’s near-total control of committee leadership violates these provisions and undermines democratic checks and balances.
“This monopolisation of oversight is not just bad optics, but a direct assault on the democratic principle of accountability,” Cloete said, warning that parliament risks devolving into a “rubber stamp” institution serving the very government it is meant to hold to account.
The IPC concluded by urging broader reforms to ensure that committee leadership more accurately reflects Namibia’s multiparty legislature, calling on parliament to uphold the integrity of its watchdog function.
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