Seventy-two hours is a long time, but in politics, it is almost eternity.
For three days, Namibians waited with bated breaths for what the Popular Democratic Movement’s hotly contested electoral college would
deliver.
The ‘pot’, as electoral colleges are known in the local political theatre, delivered a mixed bag of old and youthful
politicians.
When it was all said and done, the official opposition party finally yesterday unveiled its list of candidates for the upcoming National Assembly elections.
In keeping with tradition, before each presidential and National Assembly election, PDM holds an electoral college where 96 candidates are elected by the party’s members based on their perceived capability to serve as lawmakers.
Another interesting observation after PDM secretary general Manuel Ngaringombe revealed the names of those who made the cut was that some popular faces within the PDM, such as youthful politicians Maximilliant Katjimune, Inna Hengari, and Winnie Moongo, as well as veteran youth politician Bensen Katjirijova, all had to rely on party leader McHenry Venaani’s nomination to make it high up on the list.
Venaani’s intervention de facto increases their chances of returning to the legislative chambers, while it might be Katjirijova’s breakthrough season after years of toiling in the PDM youth league.
A new face on the PDM is Sonja Smith, a journalist by training who has seemingly traded the pen for a chance in the August House.
Smith was also among Venaani’s 10 nominees.
Pot
Leading up to the pot, PDM faced a deadlock.
On one side, there is a deliberate push for the electoral college delegates to swallow the party’s top nine leaders hook, line, and sinker.
This meant that they would take up the nine positions on the electoral college list, unopposed.
Diametrically opposed to this agenda was another group that offered alternatives.
Either all positions except for the first, which is automatically occupied by the party leader, would be contested.
The second proposal was to allow some top nine leaders to automatically take up certain positions within the top 12 unchallenged, on the condition that the list is at least made up of five individuals under the age of 35 [youths].
In the end, the party agreed to go for the latter option.
This was the turning point, as some youthful politicians were allegedly targeted through a concerted onslaught for pushing the youth agenda to the summit of the party.
Those who were rescued or nominated were Moongo (2), Hengari (5), Katjimune (10), Smith (11), Roberto Dirkse (13), veteran politician Elma Dienda (15), Linus Tobias (17), Hamlet Luboni (19), and Katjirijova at 23.
Scribe
More so, a fresh addition to the PDM’s roster is the appointment of the investigative journalist, Smith.
The award-winning journalist, who currently ranks 11, worked as a freelance journalist at a local daily newspaper and also served in PDM as a personal assistant to Venaani.
“The presidential nominees answer to dynamics such as regions, sectors, and whatever you need to strengthen your list, and the presidential nominees are allowed to go outside party parameters if they have somebody who has the skills, knowledge, and capacity that we need to cement the list to address certain sectors of our communities,” explained l Ngaringombe.
The secretary general also said Smith is not a card-carrying member of PDM, and being an assistant to Venaani does not automatically make her a member but a staff member of the National Assembly.
“Because of her skills and the sector she’s coming from, she has been nominated to address some of the issues. But others who are nominated into the list are bona fide members of PDM,” he further justified Smith’s appointment.
Reaction
Approached for a comment, Smith expressed gratitude for her nomination.
“This speaks volumes about the broader vision he has for PDM and the entire Namibian nation,” he said.
Smith further expressed her intention to make a difference in her community.
“I’ve already done that through my journalism career over the past 10 years, in which I’ve contributed significantly and meaningfully in shaping the country’s development trajectory and changing lives through my work,” she said.
Having worked at local newspapers and having her work recognised internationally, she said it is about time to continue to highlight issues that matter to her and the country in a different setting.
“As a journalist, I was exposed to many harsh realities that many Namibians experience daily, and this has been one of my biggest worries to date,” she said, adding that if elected to Parliament, she will plan to bring challenges experienced by ordinary Namibians, especially the downtrodden, through representing them in the Legislature.
“For the past few years, I have been working closely with Honourable McHenry Venaani and with the PDM at the National Assembly. There, I experienced firsthand the important role the PDM plays in the National Assembly by representing the interests of all Namibians. I have further understood all policies of the PDM and the meaningful change the movement wants to make in our country,” she stated.
On his part, Katjimune said, “I am humbled by the president’s continued trust in my abilities. The PDM electoral college delivered a competent and diverse list of candidates for election to the National Assembly. The youth are properly represented, the ethnic diversity is visible, and the list represents an impressive generational mix. We urge all Namibians to vote for the PDM in their masses on November 27, 2027.”
Meanwhile, Hengari took to her social media platform and said, “Thank you [Venaani] for your confidence in our abilities, flaws and all, and still, you saw beyond that. [May] God grant you more wisdom to captain our ship to greater heights.”
Generational mix
What stands out this year is the balance between seasoned politicians and fresh faces, reflecting a blend of experience and new perspectives within the party.
Venaani tops the list, followed by young politicians who is also a presidential appointee, Moongo.
Other candidates in the top 20 include the national chairperson Ricky Vries, Opuwo mayor Rosa Mbinge-Tjeundo, Hengari, veteran politician Nico Smit, Sydney Ndumbah, Geoffrey Mwilima, Jennifer van den Heever, Katjimune, Smith, Roger Nautoro, Dirkse, Johannes Martin, Dienda, Nimrod Haraseb, Tobias, Reinhilde Kudumo, Luboni, and Agatus Antanga.
PDM currently has 16 seats in the National Assembly.
The fate of candidates who are below the list will be determined by how many seats the party will get in the upcoming elections.
Current members of Parliament whose return depends on the PDM winning the upcoming elections or gaining more seats include Hidipo Hamata, who is in position 27, and Yvette Araes, who is in position 36.
At position 96 is lawmaker Charmaine Tjirare, whose career in the National Assembly is all but sealed.
Others include Loide Iipinge (80) and Reggie Diergaardt (127).
“The candidates for the National Assembly were in line with the democratic values and principles of PDM, and they are bone-fide party members,” said Ngaringombe during the announcement.
Ngaringombe also advised aggrieved party members to lodge their complaints within 72 hours after the announcement.
NEC
The party has also selected its members of the National Executive Committee (NEC).
NEC is the political party’s highest decision-making body in between its congresses.
The party’s current top leadership consists of the party president, McHenry Venaani, van den Heever (vice president), Diederik Vries (chairperson), Mbinge-Tjeundo (vice chairperson), Ngaringombe, Linus Tobias (deputy secretary general), Nico Smit (treasurer general), Ndumbah (deputy treasurer general), and national spokesperson Geoffrey Mwilima.
Others include Julia Nekwaya (youth league secretary general), Charles Pieter (elders’ council secretary general), Christina Isaacks (women’s league), General Nemrod Haraseb (secretary for agriculture and environment), Gabriella Stadhauer (secretary for economic affairs and trade), Simon Shipanga (secretary for education), Felicia Motinga (secretary for gender equality), and Moongo (secretary for health and social welfare).
Also forming part of the NEC are Dirkse (secretary for international affairs), Hengari (secretary for labour and employment), Katjimune (secretary for legal affairs), Gabriel Augustus (secretary for organisation and mobilisation), Elizabeth Kastoor (secretary for sport and culture), and Alfred Mathias, who is the secretary for transport.
– ashikololo@nepc.com.na