Geingob’s loyalists win big at the ‘pot’

PRESIDENT Hage Geingob’s loyalists won big at last weekend’s Swapo electoral college, but there are signs that his slate is starting to show cracks, with certain ministers and allies being given the boot.

Around 200 Swapo members met in Windhoek over the weekend to finalise a list of 96 politicians who will be in the running to take up seats in the National Assembly.

The seats will be allocated on how the party performs in the national elections in November this year.

Some of the biggest winners at the electoral college are current parliamentarians and Swapo central committee members who appear to have formed a block to vote for each other and increase their chances of survival.

For instance, the top 21 on the list are Swapo members of parliament. All six regional coordinators performed poorly, while two pro-Geingob youth leaders such as public enterprises deputy minister Veikko Nekundi and Swapo Youth League secretary Ephraim Nekongo will hope that Swapo gets 75 seats for them to qualify for the National Assembly through the party list. Nekundi is on number 73, while Nekongo is 75th on the ‘pot’ list. Among those who made the top 20 are environment minister Pohamba Shifeta, who topped the list of male candidates, and deputy industrialisation minister Lucia Iipumbu, who came first on the women’s side.

Mines and energy minister Tom Alweendo, prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, home affairs minister Frans Kapofi and urban and rural development minister Peya Mushelenga also made the top 10.

Other members in the top 20 are Johanna Kandjimi, Alexia Manombe-Ncube, finance minister Calle Schlettwein, Lucia Witbooi, vice president Nangolo Mbumba, Christine Hoebes, Erastus Uutoni, higher education minister Itah Kandjii-Murangi, Hamunyera Hambyuka, Hilma Nicanor, information minister Stanley Simataa, Bernadette Jagger, transport minister John Mutorwa and Annakleta Sikerete.

The first two slots on the list are occupied by Swapo vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and secretary general Sophia Shaningwa.

The party’s deputy secretary general Marco Hausiku indicated that he would not be available to go to parliament next year. He was thus excluded, although he was an automatic candidate.

Safety minister Charles Namoloh, labour minister Erkki Nghimtina and speaker of the National Assembly Peter Katjiavivi were among the high-ranking officials who failed to make it to the top of the initial list of Swapo parliamentarians for next year.

Some suspect that Namoloh and Nghimtina, who were part of the president’s team, are leaning towards a camp within ‘Harambee’ that wants vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to be the next party president after 2022.

There is speculation that Geingob’s Team Harambee is now divided into two or three groups, but the moderates who are key supporters of the president won.

Namoloh, who was ranked 11th at the 2014 Swapo electoral college, fell from grace, finishing at position 103 at the weekend’s party list elections.

Namoloh – also known by his nom de guerre Ho Chi Minh – appears to have fallen out of favour with president Hage Geingob’s team.

Sources speculated last week that he was one of the ministers who would not make it to parliament next year.

It is not clear why the ‘pot’ decided to elbow him out of the party’s parliamentary list, but previous reports could provide a clue on why the former defence minister performed dismally.

reported in 2015 that Namoloh was among Swapo leaders who tried to unseat Geingob at the 2017 Swapo elective congress.

He denied those allegations, and publicly defended the president. But that seemed not to be enough. He performed poorly at that Swapo congress, and has in the past used public events to advocate the well-being of former liberation war fighters.

“Nobody should feel left out? I think we are feeling left out as Plan commanders and fighters. It should not be addressed only to some but to us all,” Namoloh said last year.

After losing out, he told yesterday that he will now focus on finishing a book he is writing. He said he felt he had contributed meaningfully to the development of the country.

Geingob’s inner circle said he has constantly criticised the administration he serves in.

Other high-ranking officials who could fail to make the cut – unless saved by Geingob – are former education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa and National Council chairperson Margaret Mensah-Williams, who came 82nd and 92nd on the list, respectively.

Hanse-Himarwa cried tears of joy when Geingob won the party presidency in 2017. Her reputation was tainted two months ago when she was convicted of corruption in the High Court. However, former Namibia Wildlife Resorts managing director Tobie Aupindi, who was convicted on a charge under the Anti-Corruption Act last year, is at number 29 on the list.

Some Swapo members were not happy with Aupindi’s election to the list, saying it could cost the party its reputation.

Aupindi refused to talk to the media after the announcement of the results yesterday.

The Namibian Constitution also allows the president to appoint eight non-voting members to the National Assembly after the elections.

Ninety-six candidates are nominated on the party list for the National Assembly election, and the seats in the assembly are allocated based on how the party performs in the national elections, scheduled for November this year.

The list is valid for the next five years. Matters such as the death or resignation of members mean that the next person on the list of 96 gets to be elevated, taking into consideration the 50/50 gender representation measure.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.