Swapo is readying to regain the Walvis Bay Urban and Rural constituencies, and the local authority from the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) in the upcoming November elections.
The party lost power over the rural constituency in the 2020 elections, and the urban constituency to independent candidate Knowledge Ipinge in the January by-election, and later to IPC in the November election the same year.
In an effort to regain control over the harbour town, Swapo started with its primaries last week to choose candidates.
Walvis Bay Urban constituency control administrator Charles Neidel and Ruben Shikongo at the Walvis Bay Rural constituency are among the contenders for the party’s candidates.
Both have been with these offices for over 15 years.
Neidel confirms he has been nominated but declined to say where he stands.
Shikongo says he is ready to stand.
“I have many developmental plans for the constituency,” he says.
Businessman Collin April is also in the running.
On the local authority front, former mayor Mandume Muatunga has also been nominated as a candidate.
“The party is still busy with nominations,” he said.
Ipinge, who renewed his membership with Swapo last year, was also one of the nominees. He, however, yesterday confirmed that he has declined to stand as a candidate for the Walvis Bay Urban constituency.
“I respectfully declined the nomination for the regional council position of Walvis Bay Urban constituency guided by the spirit of collective liberation and Swapo’s foundational principles of strengthening unity within the structures at section and branch level,” Ipinge explained.
“My decision stems not from reluctance to serve, but from a personal conviction that the party revolution demands a fundamental orientation of power away from individual advancement and careerism,” he said.
Ipinge said his current focus is adding significant value to the party rank and file through grassroots political education, mobilisation, advocacy, and lobbying centred on marginalised voices.
Swapo’s Walvis Bay Rural constituency district coordinator, Patrick Bathromeus, says the party is going to do everything in its power to reclaim Walvis Bay.
“In 2020, the winds of politics changed at Walvis Bay after the new kid on the block [IPC] emerged and many people opted to vote for IPC due to a perceived change. But now we are saying, this year, Swapo is determined to reclaim Walvis Bay,” he says.
He urges the community to choose wisely and vote for Swapo to get the services they are demanding.
“We acknowledge our shortcoming as a party, however, the failure of service delivery must be directed to IPC as they are the ruling party. In terms of local authority, IPC got four seats compared to three of Swapo, while other parties got one each and formed a coalition with IPC. This made it difficult for our councillors to pass their motions in council as often it was challenged because Swapo is the minority,” he claims.
Bathromeus further adds that nominations of the Walvis Bay Urban and Rural constituencies are ongoing with voting set to take place during the district conference at a set date.
Swapo secretary general Sophia Shaningwa says: “It is too early to give interventions of the party for the upcoming November elections. But we will communicate when the time comes”.
Last week, Shaningwa suspended the creation of sections and new branches to enable identification of candidates for the November elections.
IPC regional chairperson Aloysius Kangulu says the party is ready to retain Walvis Bay and the entire Erongo region.
“It’s not about staying in power, but it is about what the leadership grassroots is telling us. The people on the ground still have faith in IPC and come November elections we are confident we will emerge victorious.”
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