IMPALILA ISLAND – Former Kabbe South councillor and new National Assembly member John Likando expressed full confidence in his party’s ability to retain the constituency at the upcoming by-election. 

He said the constituency has long been a Swapo stronghold, noting that the party has continuously responded to the needs of the community. 

Addressing a Swapo mini rally at Impalila Island on Monday, Likando expressed confidence in the party’s candidate, Raymond Sezuni Kamwi’s capability to carry the baton forward for the remainder of the term.

“Our candidate is the right candidate. He’ll keep the track for the remaining term. We just came recently from a budget approval in Parliament, so he has an enormous task to consult and ensure necessary interactions between Parliament and regional councils,” Likando noted.

Swapo party members and supporters gathered in high spirits at Impalila Island in the Zambezi Region to throw their weight behind Kamwi ahead of the highly anticipated Kabbe South constituency by-election set for 17 June.

The rally marked the first in a series of campaign events by Swapo, with mini rallies planned for Lusese, Nakabolelwa and Izimwe.

The seat, once held by Likando, is now up for grabs following his transition from regional councillor to member of the National Assembly.

Two candidates were successfully registered by the Electoral Commission of Namibia to contest the by-election, namely: Kamwi of the Swapo party and Independent Patriots for Change’s Shamwazi Sydney Mpunga.

Likando, who is the leader assigned to Zambezi, reiterated the party’s commitment to continuity and development in the region.

“In Swapo, we believe in legacy. We have a programme that we started on 21 March 1990 to develop this country through delivery of services and provide essentials to the community,” said Likando.

He acknowledged that Kabbe South, being one of the rural and previously underdeveloped areas at independence, has made significant strides through Swapo’s rural development agenda.

“We have committed ourselves to ensure we provide the necessary infrastructure and services. It has become unfortunate that towards the end of this year, we have to run by-elections. But our efforts are to ensure that our candidate receives an outright victory as usual,” he said.

Austin Samupwa, another Swapo Member of Parliament, urged the electorate not to disrupt the continuity of service delivery by electing a candidate outside of the ruling party.

“The President is Swapo. The Cabinet is Swapo. The Parliament is dominated by Swapo. The governor is Swapo. Even the chairperson of the regional council here in Zambezi is Swapo. All we want is that the candidate for Swapo must win Kabbe South so that service will flow unhindered from the Head of State to the community,” he remarked.

Samupwa said the party’s goal is not to start from scratch but to build on existing achievements.

“We want to continue providing excellent service like we have been doing. In order to do that, we need a Swapo councillor here in Kabbe South,” he said.
– anakale@nepc.com.na