NNN calls for unity among Swapo members

Vice president and president-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah delivered a speech during the extraordinary meeting of the central committee on 15 February 2025. 

Your excellency, comrade Nangolo Mbumba, president of the Republic of Namibia; comrade Sophia Shaningwa, SWAPO secretary general; comrade Uahekua Herunga, Swapo deputy secretary general; comrade Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, member of the political bureau and prime minister of the Republic of Namibia; comrade members of the political bureau; comrade permanent members of political bureau and central committee.

Today, we come together during this defining moment for our party and our nation. It is now time that we need a deep reflection, a sense of responsibility and unity among everything. 

We have lost our beloved founding president of the Republic of Namibia and father of the Namibian nation, founding president of  Swapo and leader of the Namibian revolution.

We are devastated by this immense loss. I, therefore, would like to request that we all raise and observe a minute of silence in honour of our cherished leader, comrade Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, who left us on Saturday, 8 February 2025.

A minute of silence.

With the passing of founding president Sam Nujoma, we have lost our national icon, a strong pillar who led us under the difficult times of the liberation struggle and ushered us into a nationhood. Today, Namibia stands tall among other nations of the world as a beacon of democracy, peace and stability. Our mighty Swapo is recognised in the world as a strong revolutionary party, thanks to our national hero and leader of our revolution.

Without president Nujoma’s advice, visionary leadership, and unwavering commitment to unity, solidarity and justice, Namibia would not be where it is today. 

He led Swapo through the most difficult times of our history, basically building it from the ground and ensuring it became not just a political organisation but a formidable liberation movement strong enough to withstand the military weight of a cruel apartheid oppression system and deliver freedom to the Namibian people. 

He transformed Swapo from a liberation movement into the renowned mass based political and true democratic party we have today.

President Nujoma is a mentor to many of us. Nujoma leaves a legacy of bravery, visionary leadership, unity and love for his country and its people. As we mourn his departure, we must embrace common purpose to steer our country towards genuine economic independence and inclusive socio-economic development and to bring about a shared balanced prosperity.

It is an undeniable fact that our party is at a crossroad now, the situation has placed a daunting task before us. That task is to make sure that the ideals of our dear founding president live on and his legacy endures. Let us put our differences aside, unite and stand up for our party and country. 

We must not betray what comrade Sam Nujoma stood for. Let us all have a sense of obligation to respect his deeds, defend what he stood for and carry on the torch of defending our freedom and independence which he left us with.

Dear comrades,

Like last year, 2025 is also an election year. The elections this year are for regional and local authority councils. It is a well-known fact that as much as we won both the presidential and National Assembly elections, losing 12 seats is a serious matter that warrants critical postmortem. Of course, we are all aware that leading to the 2024 national elections, different strategies were deployed, both nationally and internationally, for Swapo to lose those elections. I thank all comrades, Swapo members, supporters and sympathisers who worked so hard and enabled us to achieve what we have achieved during the 2024 elections against all odds.

With those results in our books, we have to make it one of our priorities to do a deep introspection collectively and, equally important, individually, as we know ourselves better than anybody else.

It is very important and critical that we must prepare properly and aggressively for this year’s elections. These elections matter a lot to us because they will determine who will be at the forefront of service delivery in our communities. 

The leaders we are going to field for elections at the regional and local levels are the ones who will implement our policies and programmes on the ground, ensuring that the promises made in the Swapo election manifesto are fully realised.

That is why we must focus on selecting capable, committed, and visionary leaders, who understand the needs of the people and who will work tirelessly to improve their lives. 

The success of our governance as a ruling party depends on the strength of our local and regional leadership. Without strong leadership at every level, our ability to govern effectively is weakened. Therefore, we must go into these elections well prepared, organised, and most importantly, united. 

I believe we must have learned a hard lesson from the 2024 elections. We must all be aware of our individual efforts to canvas support during the 2024 elections campaign.

Every structure of the party, affiliate organisations, and every member has a role to play in ensuring a Swapo victory. This is not just the responsibility of a few, it is a collective responsibility of the entire leadership, rank and file. We must be on the ground, engaging with our people, reminding them that Swapo has fought for their interests and well-being and will continue to do so. Quality service delivery must be the guiding principle at all times.

Comrades,

I want to point it out clearly, victory will not come automatically. It will not come if we are divided. It will not come if we do not work together. It will not come if our people are living in poverty. I cannot see how one can enjoy your wealth while others are trapped in poverty. 

It is even worse when such wealth is accumulated on the expenses of others. As party leaders, we have to make sure Namibia’s resources are managed in a manner that will benefit all members of our society. 

Just as comrade Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma believed that unity is the key to national liberation, so should we understand that unity is the key to winning these elections, key to national building and key to real development.

We have convened this central committee meeting, as per the resolution taken by the central committee meeting held on 13 December 2024, which called for the extraordinary congress which is scheduled to take place from 28 February to 2 March 2025, to elect the Swapo president to fill the position left vacant by our departed president, his excellency comrade Hage G Geingob. 

In this regard, the central committee will receive the report of the political bureau and chart the way forward.

I urge the central committee, as a decision-making body between the two congresses, to apply its mind and genuinely take decisions that are in the interests of the party and the country. 

I further urge the central committee to unite and collectively provide the necessary leadership, as we traverse these very trying times in the history of our party and country. 

Let us honor our departed leaders’ legacies by committing ourselves and embracing unity of purpose and action. Let us ensure that Swapo will remain in power and defend the gains of our genuine freedom and independence. 

Let us build trust, unite and work together to protect the future of Swapo and secure the future of Namibia.

In conclusion, I call on all of us to remember and embrace the teachings of our founding president, that “a people united and striving for the common good of all the members of the society will always emerge victorious”. Unity is what brought us independence. Unity is what will grow our party.

As leaders, we must be exemplary to the rank and file members of our party. In unity, we must defend our revolution and its gains at all times.

Long live the revolutionary spirit of comrade Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma.

Swapo united! Swapo victorious! Now, hard work.

I thank you.

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.