Joshua R. Kaumbi

During the year 2022, I took on the most difficult assignment of my life when I was accepted to be the returning officer of the Swapo Party congress. 

I took the assignment at a time when the confidence of people in the electoral process of my country was at its lowest. It was required of me to perform the possible and restore hope amidst the impossibility. What appeared to have been a task accomplished turned into a nightmare when I released a list not verified nor certified. 

Upon realising the mistaken panic, fear rather engulfed me. What I could not understand is why it failed to cripple my thinking capacity. It rather brought out the best in me, the best I had not known existed. Admitting to my mistake, came naturally, as I realised the party I was dealing with. 

Swapo Party had been and ought to continue to be the governing party, and as such had a responsibility to produce
leaders who are in adoration with service to the country and nation.  I have been walking freely in this country and wanted to continue to do so for the remainder of my life.  

My conscious tells me that I did the noblest thing. 

When I was young, my old lady would always impress upon me, to tell the truth as it can liberate oneself. Personal freedom, I have learnt from an early age, is the highest form of freedom.

The task before me was a mammoth one, moreso accepting would prove to be equally as challenging. I knew that my writings in defence of the sitting head of state might give rise to conspiracy theories.

 I wish to state that I defended the president and the presidency based on principle, hence my relationship with him, up to this day, being one of a president and a subject (citizen).  

On the other hand, I had to starve the conspiracy theories, which flourished when the appointment was being discussed, of me being sympathetic to this or that camp. I had to remain in the middle of the storm if I had to enter a mental asylum and leave it sane. (Nixon Marcus)

On Wednesday at the highest office, surrounded by all the candidates and past and present leaders, my confidence in the head of state was affirmed and confirmed when Alec Boois proclaimed that he displayed statesmanship when he allowed all to vent and at the same time voluntarily absorbed the anger on my behalf.  When it dawned upon her that I might be telling the truth, Me Sophia Shaningwa’s demeanour towards me changed, crowned by her tight motherly hug on the 6 December in front of the newly sworn-in Central Committee members. 

On the day of the announcement of the genuine list of Central Committee members, what played in my mind when I went to sleep was the off-the-cuff speech by Me Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. After her speech, the security detail christened me Julius Nyerere. Those who share the same language as the author, regarded those remarks, as their ticket come 2024.

 My conviction of my conduct being honourable was reaffirmed by Desmond Amunyela who called me on 6 December and insisted that I hold on to the dignity he discovered I had. I am mentioning this because I also discovered his dignity by calling me and requesting me to let bygones be bygones.

 When the mistake became apparent, I not only knew that I did the right thing, but also discovered that my country’s future is bright, when my team, representative of all ethnic groups, failed to disown me throughout the week in November. They could easily have chosen the usual human game of detaching themselves from what started to appear as a crisis of a Shakespearean proportion. 

 Either my ancestors were with me, or as my sister, Dama said when it started raining during the verification, even God agreed that we did the right thing indeed.

 As I administered the oath to the newly elected members of the Central Committee, I realised that I am just a sinner who felt the hand of God firmly on my shoulder. 

I will forever remain sorry for the error, and appreciative for having been accorded the chance to truthfully and objectively correct the error.

 Through all of this, I realised we all have been given the ability to silence the storm. 

I am happy, that I eventually became the VAR Kadhila
Amoomo said I would become.

 I remain indebted to the Almighty Father and the Christian values that govern this beautiful nation.