Ester Mbathera
Female members of Swapo have celebrated the election of Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as the party’s president, calling it a milestone that demonstrates women’s capability to lead.
Nandi-Ndaitwah was elected by acclamation at Swapo’s 6th extraordinary congress on Saturday, becoming the party’s first female president.
The central committee had endorsed her as the sole presidential candidate on 17 February.
Election by acclamation allows an association or party to skip the final ballot process in an uncontested election.
Party member, Sharonice Busch described her election as a “significant moment” for young women and women across the country.
“We have demonstrated that women are able, women are ready, and women are capable of taking up space to lead and solve problems and provide direction that our country needs,” she said.
Busch urged women to educate themselves on national issues and actively participate in decision-making processes.
“As women, we must ensure that we pave the way for other women who will come after us not only in politics but in other spheres of society. We must ensure that we are part of decision-making processes, that we contribute meaningfully and that we participate in nation building,” she said.
Fenny Tutjavi, the youngest incoming member of parliament, explained the importance of women’s participation in politics.
“For us to soon have a female president come 21 March serves as a motivating factor for young women and women across the country to show up and participate in political processes and systems that have previously disadvantaged women,” she said.
Party veteran and now president of the Pan African Women’s Organisation (PAWO), Eunice Ipinge, added that it is important for women to ascend to high offices because the atmosphere and frameworks have already been created.
“We have an environment created for us to take power and to lead our nation. We have a constitution, which is a governing instrument. We have international instruments that have been ratified by our government for women’s empowerment and gender equality. What we need as women is to take power in our hands. It’s to mobilise ourselves to learn and build our capacity for leadership,” she said.
Ipinge added that work is being done to reform the Electoral Act to ensure that more women participate and take up positions in the regional council and eventually in the National Council.
“The current formula of winner takes all is the one that we are working on now for us to make sure that women take up positions in the regional elections. For now, we have problems not because of women but because of the beliefs in our society, because the winner takes all is one candidate, we have realised that the party is guided by the people on the ground, and that without instruments we will not put women forward,” she said.
Swapo Women’s Council secretary, Fransina Kahungu called on communities to identify more women to participate in the Regional Council and Local Authority Elections in November this year.
“We have many capable women. We need equal representation among councillors of the National Council,” she said.
In her acceptance speech, Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed gratitude for the trust placed in her.
“I stand before you humbled, proud, and deeply honoured to accept the trust you have placed in me to complete the unexpired term of our late president, comrade Doctor Hage Godfried Geingob,” she said.
