Swapo congress: NNN set to break 65-year-old jinx in becoming first female Swapo president

Swapo vice president and president-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will take over as the first female president of the party after 65 years at the Swapo congress this weekend.

Nandi-Ndaitwah was endorsed last month by the party’s central committee, the highest decision-making body of the party.

At the meeting, the central committee endorsed Nandi-Ndaitwah unopposed and stated that she would be presented at the extraordinary congress slated for Saturday in Windhoek.

Swapo deputy secretary general Uahekua Herunga yesterday confirmed to The Namibian that the congress only has one item on the agenda regarding the presidency position.

“This coming Saturday’s congress, we only have one item on the agenda and that is the party’s president position in which we are going to present the party’s new president,” he said.

The vice presidency post being vacated by Nandi-Ndaitwah has been frozen till 2027, with public policy analyst Rui Tyitende having previously attributed the move to the fact that Swapo may not have the logistics to carry out campaigns of such magnitude, given that, come 21 March, a new president will be sworn in.

Swapo veteran Jerry Ekandjo recently told One Africa Television that the freezing of the vice president post is unconstitutional while also labelling the congress as unconstitutional.

Landless People’s Movement national youth league leader Duminga Ndala, who responded to questions sent to her yesterday, said this is a significant milestone in the journey towards gender equality and breaking historical barriers that suggested women are not suited for the high office.

Ndala stated that from a woman’s perspective, Nandi-Ndaitwah’s position as a female president of a party and the president-elect represents progress and a shift in mindset that female leaders can be elected to the highest office in the country, showing that this role is not confined to one gender only.

“More importantly, having a female in such positions can inspire women to take up leadership roles, especially in sectors traditionally seen as male dominated,” she said.

She, however, stated that one of the challenges female leaders may face is navigating a political environment that has historically been dominated by men.

Ndala noted that this can sometimes make it difficult to command authority and respect, particularly during negotiations.

She pointed out that female leaders may encounter sexism and undue criticism, often focused on their appearance, which can undermine their credibility and leadership.

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