Candidates gunning for the Swapo Party’s Vice President, Secretary General and the Deputy SG position have gone into over drive with their campaigns using every conceivable opportunity for a public relations exercise.
They use government platforms and all manner of sorts to be present at as many occasions be they Swapo or events related to their portfolios – at least those with government portfolios. At times they even hijack responsibilities from line ministers, such as that of Urban and Rural Development to officiate and according to observers, using them as network opportunities.
Their campaigns are supposed to be coordinated by the office of the Swapo Party Executive Director, Austin Samupwa, but this in some cases is ignored, Windhoek Observer learnt reliably.
The internally controlled campaigns are moving to the Erongo Region on Saturday, where the candidates will be introduced to congress delegates in the region and also make presentations about why they should be voted for.
Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila is already in the region and yesterday addressed the Association of Regional Councils, a platform that would have been more appropriate for the Minister of Urban and Rural Development. The meeting attended by regional councillors was strategic for her campaign support and she also informed the association that the bill on the long awaited Constituency Fund is now ready to be tabled in the National Assembly after having been approved by the Cabinet.
Tomorrow, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has two engagements in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.
Her first meeting is with the Swapo Elders Council in Swakopmund from where she proceeds to Walvis Bay for a meeting with the chief of the Topnaar community. She will also visit the family house of the late Nathaniel Maxuilili after which she will lay a wreath at the Swapo veteran’s grave.
It is not clear if these activities of the two candidates were run past the office of the Executive Director, who should be coordinating the party controlled campaigns of the candidates.
The other Vice President candidate, Pohamba Shifeta will be in the Uis area tomorrow, where he is due to handover horticulture project equipment, a day before the Saturday closed-door campaign event.
