Otniel Hembapu
Aletta Shikololo
Lahja Nashuuta
Namibia’s watershed elections are here, with just two days left before voters separate pretenders from contenders.
The ruling Swapo Party held three major rallies in three different towns, each addressed by a party heavyweight. They are seeking to consolidate their grip on power and dominance in Wednesday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.
On Saturday, presidential candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was in Omaheke’s capital Gobabis, preaching her party’s gospel, while at the same time, President Nangolo Mbumba was in Rehoboth in the Hardap region, some 300 km from Gobabis, also canvassing for support.
Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at a rally in Otjozondjupa’s Okakakara,
a town known to be the citadel of the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo).
However, Otjozondjupa governor James Uerikua stood in for the prime minister.
Rehoboth
Addressing the Rehoboth rally, the usually-reserved Mbumba surprised the crowd by breaking into a spirited dance, drawing thunderous applause and chants from the energised supporters.
Standing before a crowd of supporters dressed in the party’s iconic red, blue and green attire, he urged Namibians to place their trust in Swapo’s leadership.
“You can only depend on a leader whose history can be traced and is verifiable; in other words, a leader who has stood the test of time,” he said, hinting at opposition parties who allegedly boast about running a government when they have never done so.
Campaigning for the party and its presidential candidate Nandi-Ndaitwah, the president said: “I can assure you now that comrade Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and the Swapo Party have been tested like gold is tested in fire and proved to indeed have substance and capacity to deliver economic development, eradicate poverty, and provide jobs and maintain peace and stability in Namibia.”
Mbumba also reminded supporters that the party’s manifesto does not contain empty sloganeering, unlike others.
“It is a contrast between what Swapo has achieved over the past 34 years, and what we plan to do for the next five years,” he noted.
The President also reaffirmed the party’s commitment to uplifting the lives of all Namibians, particularly in the Hardap and //Kharas regions.
Mbumba emphasised Swapo’s focus on infrastructural development, education, healthcare and economic empowerment, as outlined in its manifesto.
“The Swapo Party-led government remains committed to improving the living standards of all the citizens of Rehoboth, the Hardap and //Kharas regions, and the country at large. We will do so through deliberate, systematic and methodic implementation of the Swapo Party manifesto,” the politician continued.
Also speaking at the rally was local musician Lazarus ‘Gazza’ Shiimi, who has been headlining most of the party’s campaigns.
“Faith is what led the sons and daughters of this country to fight for us during the liberation struggle. Strong faith becomes courage, then it becomes willpower, and willpower becomes action,” he said passionately.
Additionally, Mbumba detailed key projects in Hardap, including the horticulture and poultry value chain development schemes, which benefitted 514 farmers with over N$1 million in support, and the establishment of a poultry project in Daweb, valued at N$277 692.
Infrastructure improvements include 16 boreholes, 15 rehabilitated water points, and the replacement of 18 windmills with solar pumps.
“The discovery of oil in the Orange Basin and the potential of the Kudu gas field are set to propel Namibia into becoming a major oil and gas producer in Africa,” he said, adding that these advancements, alongside green hydrogen projects in southern Namibia, will create jobs and opportunities for the region.
Gababis
In Omaheke, Nandi-Ndaitwah said there is no reason to slow down when the people of Namibia say that her time to rule the country is now.
“I have been in this government since day one. I will take credit where things went well, as well as responsibility where things did not go as planned,” she noted.
The country’s vice president assured the masses that serving in government was a learning curve through which she gained more leadership and governance experience.
“One needs to go to the track records of my service in different government ministries to understand the learning curve of the experience I am referring to,” she stated.
Nandi-Ndaitwah’s experience started with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Child Welfare, where all welcomed the national coverage of the children’s grant and gender equality policy.
Among her achievements, the Swapo presidential candidate listed the opening of radio stations in the most remote areas such as Tsumkwe during her tenure at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
During her time at the Ministry of Environment, Nandi-Ndaitwah established the Environment Management Fund, which is now serving many communities in Namibia.
Pointing to what has already been delivered, she said under Swapo, the government had drilled 1 466 boreholes and built 37 dams in the Omaheke region by the end of 2022.
She added that the region has made strides in combating malnutrition through providing micro-nutrients to children aged 0-5 years at Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, soup kitchens and clinics, reducing malnutrition cases significantly.
Furthermore, an integrated programme which includes deworming and product education and training has been introduced at participating centres.
“I am also informed that three weeks ago, this programme was launched at two soup kitchens in Epako: Ondjerera (Tuerijandjera), and Light of the Children,” she said.
She told the crowd that a feasibility study aimed at developing irrigated pasture and crop systems in Epukiro RC [in the Okorukambe constituency] and the Aminuis Communal Area [Aminuis constituency] is underway.
On the employment-creation front, she emphasised the importance of value- addition to agricultural products and natural resources.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibians are too few to be poor, calling for key players in mining and other natural resources to invest in value-addition.
“We will make sure 15% of the natural resources leaving this country are processed. By exporting unprocessed resources, we are creating employment in other countries,” she emphasised.
“The Omaheke region is well-known for livestock farming. There are many successful farmers in this region. However, more jobs are being exported due to insufficient value-addition. We must focus on processing raw agricultural products, instead of exporting them in their unprocessed state,” she said.
She then applauded the Gobabis Vocational Training Centre for initiating a project to produce leather school shoes.
Okakarara
Standing in for Kuugongelwa-Amadhila at the Okakarara Trade Fair Centre on Saturday, Uerikua did not waste time, taking a dig at opposition parties who label Swapo as a corrupt and failing entity, saying the assertions are laughable because the ruling party’s track record and governing history speak for themselves.
Swapo’s Okakarara district coordinator Collin Ngujapeua and councillors Marlyan Mbakera, Gotlieb Shivute and Gothard Hoko likewise joined hundreds of party supporters at the rally.
Addressing a boisterous crowd, Uerikua said the country’s opposition parties have proven and continue to prove that they do not have the capacity and the experience to govern the country.
“Some parties today don’t even have presidents, while others are embroiled in fights at the leadership level. So, if they [the opposition] have demonstrated that they can’t even govern themselves, how will they govern you as a people? Those are serious questions we must ask ourselves. They are showing it right in front of all of us that they are incapable of running the affairs of this country. Swapo, on the other hand, has a track record that speaks for itself, and everybody can see where we have brought this country since independence,” he said to the roaring crowd.
He continued: “Despite all the noise and excitement from the other side [the opposition], the latest special voting results again proved that Swapo is not to be played with, and is not a party to be underestimated. Just when you think you have defeated Swapo, that is when you get to see the various shapes and faces of the mighty Swapo Party. And don’t worry, the special voting results were just a warm-up; we will show them at the ballots on 27 November that Swapo is the people, and the people are Swapo.”
Otjozondjupa regional coordinator Imms Namaseb echoed Uerikua’s message, saying it is becoming difficult to respond to the insults coming from the opposition parties.
“While others are making ambitious promises that they themselves know they won’t deliver, we as Swapo are simply promising to continue with the development and social progress of the last 34 years. We are also admitting that where we have challenges, we will work hand-in-hand with you to fix them. Only Swapo has the maturity and experience to govern Namibia, not these noisy people with no proven record of governing anything,” he stated.