Otniel Hembapu
Andreas Thomas
Namibia’s governing party Swapo celebrated 65 years of existence on Saturday.
The party was founded on 19 April 1960 in New York, USA as a national liberation movement aimed at achieving independence from the then-South African apartheid regime.
Swapo succeeded the Ovamboland People’s Organisation, which was established a year prior.
In a statement to the Swapo faithful, party president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah paid tribute to the Namibians who made sacrifices for the country’s independence.
Although the party has dominated local politics for 35 years since independence, Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is also Namibia’s State president, said there is still more to be done to uphold its founding principles of solidarity, freedom and justice.
“However, our work is far from complete.
Therefore, I urge each one of you to remain vigilant and steadfast in preserving the Swapo Party as a vehicle for social transformation.
Together, we must uphold the values that define us, and work tirelessly to ensure the fruits of our hard-won freedom reach every Namibian.
As we stand united, let us harness the spirit of hope and trust that we have built over the past 65 years, and further strengthen our bonds as we face the future with certainty,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, the first woman Swapo president, stated that the party’s victory in the November 2024 Presidential and National Assembly elections reaffirmed its collective commitment to building a prosperous Namibia.
She encouraged party members to look forward with optimism to electoral victory in the upcoming Regional Council and Local Authorities’ elections later this year.
“For us to achieve that victory, we are required to be united, committed to render quality service and service excellence to our citizens, and fully implement the Swapo Party elections’ manifesto,” she said.
The party celebrated its 65th anniversary two months after the death of its founding president Sam Nujoma, who passed away on 8 February 2025 at the age of 95.
Nandi-Ndaitwah noted the party likewise remembered its former president Hage Geingob, who died on 4 February 2024.
“Their profound contributions to our nation will forever be etched in our hearts and minds.
Their bravery and resilience have laid the foundation for peace, political stability and the rule of law that continue to shape our nation. May their legacy continue to inspire us and the generation to come,” she said.
Otjozondjupa
Meanwhile, the Swapo Party section elections which were recently held at Grootfontein and Otjiwarongo in the Otjozondjupa region were marred by allegations of nepotism, irregularities and contraventions of the party’s constitution and guiding statutes.
The elections for Otjiwarongo were held over a week ago, while the ones for Grootfontein were held over the Easter weekend.
Both elections have since been rejected by more than 17 branches from within the region, as allegations of nepotism and irregularities were flagged through petitions written to the office of the Swapo Party coordinator for the Otjozondjupa region, Imms Namaseb.
The branches have likewise written to Nandi-Ndaitwah as well as to the office of secretary general Sophia Shaningwa to present their grievances.
The dissatisfaction mainly stems from alleged contraventions of the party’s constitution and guiding statutes after the teams tasked with overseeing the elections in both towns allegedly brought in groups of unknown members from other jurisdictions to register, nominate and vote for new section leaders and delegates.
As per the party’s constitution and electoral laws, only members from that specific jurisdiction are allowed and declared eligible to register, nominate and vote for new leaders and delegates for their respective sections.
The petitions are calling on the party’s top leadership to declare the section elections in the two towns null and void, and set a new date and a fresh task force to oversee new elections. The party’s constitution and electoral processes must be adhered to and respected, the petitions demand.
The Grootfontein and Otjiwarongo sections’ elections were primarily aimed at electing new leaders and delegates who will attend the extraordinary conferences, where candidates to contest the upcoming by-elections on the Swapo Party ticket will be elected.
With Otjiwarongo constituency councillor Marlene Mbakera and Grootfontein’s Elder Filipe now Members of Parliament, the by-elections slated for 17 June in the two towns will seek to fill the vacant positions left by the duo.
Namaseb clarified that the matter is now with the offices of party president Nandi-Ndaitwah and of secretary general Shaningwa.
To ensure the party does not lose valuable time to elect and campaign for its candidates in the by-elections, he added that the matter is expected to be resolved this week, and a regional executive committee with the leaders assigned to the region will be held this week to address the grievances.
-Nampa