WINDHOEK - Swapo President Hage Geingob said he has started consulting fellow party leaders as well as rank and file members following the recently held elections. Geingob was duly elected during the 27 November elections after winning 56.3 percent and avoided a potential re-run against Dr Panduleni Itula, who was running as an independent candidate and who garnered 29.4 percent. The ruling party secured 63 seats - down from 77 it won in 2014. 

Addressing the opening session of the ruling party’s central committee meeting in 
Windhoek yesterday, Geingob said he had also reached out to his predecessors with the view of deliberating on issues such as factionalism, and the dysfunctional relationship within the ruling party, high unemployment, intergenerational tensions on succession and poor communication, among many others. 
“When the electorate speaks, we listen. From a 22-year-old who wrote me a letter, to the two former presidents who I called for a post-election President’s Advisory Council meeting. 

I have been listening,” Geingob said yesterday. 

“This deep introspection extended itself to various frank consultations and brainstorming sessions with many different groups, including the Swapo top four, prime minister, politburo, the Economic High-Level Panel, Swapo youth league and numerous Swapo members and sympathisers.” He said yesterday’s central committee meeting was also an extension of post-election consultation in soul searching and postmortem of the 2019 elections. “Swapo is not just a party. Swapo is an identity. Swapo is a lifestyle. Swapo is the people and the people are Swapo. We have to identify and fix the challenges we face because Swapo must outlive all of us as the people’s party,” Geingob said. He added that none of the Swapo party members or leaders are bigger than the party and to ensure the future relevance and role of the movement, party leaders need to come together, hold hands and collectively work towards regenerating the strength of the party. He said the deliberations with both Nujoma and Pohamba will shed further light, but also a brief enumeration of the structural inequality and poverty, exacerbated by an economic recession, high unemployment, particularly youth unemployment and the severe drought situation. “Corruption, particularly mismanagement and resultant loss of employment in the fishing sector and the intergenerational tension on succession will also form part of this meeting,” Geingob added. Furthermore, Geingob also used the opportunity to thank the collective efforts by party leaders, which made it possible for the party to secure an electoral mandate to govern the country for another five-year term “We are grateful to those who have bestowed their trust in us and our guarantee to them is that their trust is not misplaced,” Geingob said. “To all Namibians, we assure you, Namibia is in safe hands. It is only through holding hands, and pulling together in the same direction, that we can overcome the multitude of challenges we face as a nation.” The President also used the opportunity to raise his concern on the misinformation by the media, saying the role of the press in truth telling is pivotal. “Sensationalism, character assassinations and publication of unverified rumours should not be the default option of a credible media. As Swapo, we will improve our communication with the media as we recognise that as an area requiring improvement,” Geingob said. “We too wish to see the media introspect and resolve the challenges that diminish their ability to offer fair and objective commentary.” He said as the Swapo party they will continue to build the Namibian house in which every citizen is welcome and a proud productive resident. “We will continue and will be relentless in the struggle for the economic emancipation of every Namibian through accelerated economic development and shared prosperity.”