Stephanus Pombili
SWAPO Party is notoriously known for stifling dissent, ousting those they perceive as threats, and eliminating those who outshine them in intelligence. In 1999, Ben Uulenga was labelled with derogatory terms, and the late Hidipo Hamutenya famously voiced out “It’s called outside SWAPO party,” while his colleague Cde Jerry Maudjuu Ekandjo branded him a “traitor” for advocating for justice and opposing constitutional amendments.
Despite this being a common practice, the SWAPO party has failed to acknowledge the internal strife it is causing. An Oshikwamyama proverb states, “What is destroying the party is within the party.” Ben Uulenga went on to create the COD, which was later joined by the late Shixwameni. While Ben Uulenga did not succeed in breaking the SWAPO party’s 2/3 majority in 1999, the damage was palpable within the powerful SWAPO Party.
The trend of SWAPO party dismissing critics and intellectual members persisted with the dismissal of Jesya Nyamu, who later joined the disillusioned late Hidipo in founding RDP. RDP made significant inroads into the SWAPO Party despite being disregarded. In 2015, the SWAPO Party unjustly dismissed Dr. Elia Ngurare and Dr. Job Amupanda, who later won their case in the High court. Dr. Ngurare returned, while Dr. Job and others parted ways with the SWAPO party to establish AR, causing damage to the SWAPO Party.
Bernard Swartbooi was also dismissed and mistreated, leading him to found LPM, which weakened the SWAPO Party in the Kharas region. The detrimental impact of expelling Dr. Itula (Kandjaka) in 2020 was evident, as he swiftly eroded SWAPO Party’s 2/3 majority with his campaign.
The expulsion of Dr. Itula was a grave political error. How could they expel someone who garnered direct votes from over 200 thousand Namibians? Dr. Itula’s impact continued in the 2020 local authorities election, where in just two months, IPC again dismantled SWAPO Party’s 2/3 majority, leading to the loss of the city of Windhoek.
SWAPO’s main problem lies in the dominance of certain factions known as “Tanga teams.” These factions believe they are the sole leaders, evident in the 2018 amendment(Helmut Angula Amendment) that only allows Tanga members to lead the SWAPO Party. To be elected as SWAPO president, one must have over 20 years in the SWAPO Party central committee and as a member, highlighting Tanga’s reluctance to relinquish power.
The disregard for constitutional norms and legal principles within SWAPO Party leadership, particularly “Tanga” members, is striking. Laws seem to be of little importance, and any members who question authority face threats, exclusion, and blackmail. Laws should serve as guiding principles, but in the SWAPO party, they are only employed as tools for control (those not in power ).
The legacy of Dr. Itula, known as “Kandjafa,” continues to haunt the SWAPO Party. His emergence as an independent candidate has exposed internal strife within the party, allowing individuals to defect and run as independents. Kandjafa has left a significant void in the SWAPO Party, jeopardizing its relevance. He has focused on educating people on legal and political matters, further eroding the SWAPO Party’s standing.
In addition to the existing challenges, SWAPO Party faces issues such as chronic corruption, relying on corrupt individuals for campaigns, lack of service delivery, absence of a coherent vision or message for the electorate, and former military commanders as campaign managers. These factors may hinder SWAPO from achieving a majority in the upcoming elections.
As a result, Namibian politics are poised for a significant shift. SWAPO Party, once a revolutionary force, has transformed into an oppressive entity, alienating its people and losing its revolutionary spirit.
Stephanus Pombili is a political analyst and Political Science student. He focuses on analysing the SWAPO Party’s internal politics.
