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‘Nandi-Ndaitwah should have been endorsed as Swapo VP’


SWAPO parliamentarian Lucia Witbooi is unhappy that the unspoken tradition of the party endorsing its incumbent vice president ahead of the elective congress has been broken.

Speaking on Desert Radio yesterday, Witbooi questioned why the ruling party decided to ditch the long-established tradition of a sitting vice president being endorsed – in this case Nandi-Ndaitwah – to retain the party vice presidency and automatically become the Swapo presidential candidate.

Witbooi was referring to the precedent that was set by founding president Sam Nujoma when he endorsed former president Hifikepunye Pohamba as the Swapo vice president candidate ahead of the 2007 elective congress. Pohamba went on to become the presidential candidate for Swapo for the 2009 elections.

Pohamba did the same for Geingob in 2012, thereby effectively anointing him as Swapo vice president and the party’s presidential candidate for the 2014 general election.

However, Geingob, although choosing Nandi-Ndaitwah on his slate ahead of the 2017 Swapo congress as vice president, decided to break with the tradition this time around by refusing to publicly endorse her or any other party leader for the vice presidency at the upcoming congress.

Swapo secretary general Sophia Shaningwa has made it clear that only the position of the party president will be uncontested at the congress, meaning Geingob is assured of retaining his position.

Instead, the party leadership opened up the vice presidential race, but Witbooi argued that the transition could have continued.

“We supported former president Pohamba when he was the vice president to become president. I was there in that group when we supported him and made sure the current president was the vice president in 2017.

“And on the principle of the current vice president, I put my support to comrade Nandi-Ndaitwah, as I did with our current president. I support that principle.

“Therefore I believe the party should not really go against that principle. At that juncture we cannot bring in unnecessary divisions and do away with our tradition that benefited the party,” she said.

The deputy prime minister and minister of international relations and cooperation is currently looking to 700 delegates who are expected to elect Swapo’s new leadership, including the vice president.

She is competing for the vice president position, along with prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and Pohamba Shifeta, the minister of environment, forestry and tourism.

Meanwhile, Witbooi has been nominated for Swapo’s deputy secretary general position.

Others are members of parliament Eveline Nawases-Taeyele and Dawid Hamutenya, the party’s regional coordinator in the Kavango West region.

Witbooi, the chairperson of the Swapo leaders assigned to the //­Kharas region, said she has skills and experience to take over the role of deputy secretary general.

“The role of deputy secretary general is very clear in Article 18 – the deputy is the principal assistant to the secretary general.

“I was approached in 2020 by people in various regions to consider this position. And I said if people want me, if they see something in me for this position, I will make myself available to be nominated,” Witbooi said.

Witbooi joined Swapo in 1980, and was groomed by former Swapo vice president Hendrik Witbooi.

“I have served in various positions, including that of section leader. I have experienced working within the Constitution and have carried out assignments to the regions, including the Zambezi region,” she said.





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