Erasmus Shalihaxwe
Julia Nekwaya, a journalist who previously worked for The Namibian newspaper and Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), has switched to politics.
She was elected as Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) Youth League secretary-general over the weekend.
She replaces Bensen Katjirijova, whose term has ended.
After her election, pictures of Nekwaya in Affirmative Repositioning movement (AR) regalia started circulating on social media.
She confirmed that she was part of the AR before the movement became a political party.
“It is a ploy to invalidate my candidature by one of the candidates who also contested for the position during the elections. Yes, I was part of AR when they were still a movement before becoming a political party. I joined PDM in 2019, and I have been a member ever since,” she said.
Nekwaya joins a growing list of journalists who have made the leap into politics.
Notable examples include Modestus Amutse, the current deputy minister of information, communication, and technology, who was formerly a journalist at NBC before joining Swapo and being elected as the Oshikuku Constituency Councilor.
Similarly, former deputy minister of information and communication Technology Engelbrecht !Nawatiseb transitioned from NBC journalism to Swapo.
Katutura Central constituency councillor Vezemba Rodman Katjaimo also moved from NBC Omurari FM’s sports desk to a role in PDM.
