Isabel Bento 

SWAKOPMUND – Following last year’s dismal performance at the national polls, Popular Democratic Movement  (PDM) secretary general Manuel Ngaringombe has called for deep introspection and strategic renewal among party members. 

Ngaringombe made the remarks at the opening of the party’s week-long capacity-building workshop for regional coordinators and local authority leaders, which started at Swakopmund yesterday.

He stressed the importance of learning from past mistakes, and adapting to changing political dynamics.

“Our party lost its position as the second-largest political force in the country, and our representation in the National Assembly (NA) was reduced from 16 to five seats.

This should be a wake-up call, and as leaders, we must assess our performance with honesty, identify ways to improve if we are to safeguard democracy and provide an alternative to the deteriorating governance under Swapo,” the SG stressed.

The training, funded by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, aims to strengthen leadership skills, enhance organisational management and refine campaign strategies ahead of the 2025 Regional and Local Authority elections. 

He furthermore emphasised that winning elections requires both hard work and smart strategies, calling on participants to use the workshop as an opportunity to rethink PDM’s approach.

“If we believe in PDM as an alternative government, we must be willing to change, adapt and strengthen our movement through fresh strategies and dynamic leadership,” the SG stated. -Nampa