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Kunene Region under magnifying glasses
By Asser Ntinda


SWAPO Party functionaries in all the 107 constituencies around the country are sharpening their campaign strategies to ensure that the party does not only do well in the upcoming regional and local authorities’ elections slated for November this year, but snatch away constituencies that it does not control.

Most of the Party’s regional coordinators spoken to are predicting a landslide victory in the regional elections, saying that opposition parties have been weakened by their inabilities to penetrate the country’s 107 constituencies.

The region that has caused SWAPO Party headaches for several years is Kuenene Region, and that is where the Party is not leaving anything to chances. SWAPO Party controls only one constituency in Kunene Region, Outjo. The United Democratic Front, UDF controls three – Khorixas, Kamanjab and Sesfontein. Epupa and Opuwo constituencies are controlled by the DTA.

SWAPO Party officials in Kunene Region are confident this time around that come November, things will not be the same again. Party functionaries have been upping their campaign tempo over the past years. This has resulted in thousands of people joining SWAPO Party from the DTA and UDF.

If last year’s National Assembly and Presidential elections are anything to go by, SWAPO Party is likely to snatch some constituencies from both the DTA and the UDF. For the first time since independence, SWAPO Party defeated the DTA in the National Assembly elections in Epupa Constituency, scoring 2384 votes, followed by the DTA, which got 1972 votes.

This was its first defeat in Epupa since independence, a sign that its dominance in that constituency has dwindled significantly. The difference is 412 votes.

“That is a big margin,” said Yolanda Nangombe, SWAPO Party’s Regional Administrator for Kunene Region. “We mean business this time. We will snatch most of these constituencies from these opposition parties. SWAPO Party has made significant inroads in those constituencies. We are confident that victory will be ours. Our time to take over Kunene Region has come.”

In Opuwo Constituency, SWAPO Party got 3052 votes, while UDF got 3116. The difference was 64 votes. In Kamanyab Constituency, SWAPO Party scored 1206 votes, followed by the UDF with 864 votes. In Sesfontein, UDF just got 17 votes more than SWAPO Party.

“For us, the coming elections will be smooth sailing because we have no strong opponents to fight,” said Nestor Shuukwanyama, SWAPO Party Regional Coordinator for Ohangwena Region. “Those who thought the Rally for Democracy and Progress, RDP, would garner many votes here have been disappointed.

“We slammed them before they could even walk. We have made RDP an empty shell. It is nothing. As for the other parties, we do not even bother with them. The people here are behind SWAPO Party. No single constituency will be lost here. However, we should not sit back and relax. We must campaign hard.”

All constituencies in Ohangwena are controlled by SWAPO Party. Judging from last year’s National Assembly and Presidential elections, the picture will remain the same. Shortly after the creation of RDP, former SWAPO Party Councilor, Carlos Shinohamba, conspired with RDP and resigned his post as councilor for Eenhana Constituency, saying that he was going to “study.”

It emerged later that the real intention was to create a vacancy in the Ohangwena Regional Council for RDP to test its strength there and plot a march to State House from there, sweeping all the by-elections that would have ensued.

When a by-election was held at Eenhana in 2008, RDP got the shock of its life. SWAPO Party won with over 4000 votes, with RDP trailing far behind with only just over 400 votes.

“I am not boasting but the picture will remain the same,” said Cde Shuukwanyama. “We have penetrated all the constituencies here. All of them are SWAPO Party constituencies. People here, young and old and the ‘born-frees’ will vote for SWAPO Party candidates.”

SWAPO Party Youth League Secretary, Dr Elijah Ngurare, is a busy man these days, crisscrossing the country and urging the youth to vote for SWAPO Party. His is rarely in Windhoek, preferring to be where the people are – villages in rural areas.

“We want to show these political projects that we mean business,” said Dr Ngurare, who had just returned from Hardap and Karas Regions. We want to have control over all the 107 constituencies.

“I have been to the regions and have spoken to the people myself. Their moral is very high. They have confidence in SWAPO Party, as they have always been. They are very hopeful in terms of delivery of services, in terms of the implementation of the SWAPO Party Election Manifesto.

“The people are saying that whatever we do must be in the interest of the Party and the people themselves. Individuals’ interests must come last. I am confident that we will sweep these elections.”

Namibia is divided into 107 constituencies. SWAPO Party controls 96 of them. In Omaheke Region, which has seven constituencies, SWAPO Party controls four. The National Unity Democratic Party, NUDO controls two – Otjinene and Aminius. SWANU controls Otjombinde. In Erongo Region, UDF controls Daures and Omaruru constituencies.

Otjombinde used to be under SWAPO Party but internal fighting over candidates fielded by the Party resulted in various factions, which cost the Party that Constituency. However, in the last National Assembly and Presidential elections, SWAPO Party performed incredibly well, a sign that Otjombinde may come back to SWAPO Party, come November.

“We need to work hard to win Otjombinde back,” said Festus Ueitele, SWAPO Party Omaheke Regional Coordinator. “We should remain united and avoid factions which cost us Otjombinde Constituency. We should not allow individuals’ interests to destroy the Party.

“What happened in Otjombinde Constituency should be a lesson and eye opener for all of us. I am confident that this time we will take it over. We have to do quite a lot to penetrate constituencies that fall under NUDO in Omaheke Region. Aminius Constituency is where Herero Chief Kuaima Riruako comes from. He is also the President of NUDO.”

Another constituency that is controlled by NUDO is Okakarara in Otjozondjupa Region. Okakarara is the only constituency in Otjozondjupa Region that does not fall under SWAPO Party. SWAPO Party officials in that region said they would put up a spirited fight to take it over this time around. The remaining constituencies are still safe.

There are not going to be major upsets in the Regional Council’s elections throughout the country, because in those elections, the winner takes all. The problem, SWAPO Party leaders say, is with Local Authority Elections where the proportional representation system is used.

The system allows votes that are not enough for a seat to be given to the nearest runner, allowing that candidate to have a seat in the council, even though he or she did not get enough votes for a seat. It is through that system that has allowed RDP to have a seat in the Omuthiya Local Authority in Oshikoto Region.

“We have no problem with Regional Council Elections,” said Shuukwanyama. “We must campaign and work extra-hard when it comes to local authority elections. That is why opposition parties are talking about forming a coalition to target certain municipalities and have control over them. We must campaign hard to avoid such a situation.”

So far, there are no problems in Oshikoto, Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshana, Kavango, Caprivi, Erongo and Khomas regions. But in Hardap, Karas, Kunene Omaheke and Otjozondjupa regions, SWAPO Party needs to work hard not only to retain the constituencies it currently controls but also to make inroads in those that it does not control.

“The leadership needs to stamp its authority and quell infighting in Hardap and Karas Regions,” said one SWAPO Party leader. “Those individuals are destroying the Party ahead of the elections. We do not want Otjimbinde scenario to play itself out in Hardap and Karas Regions.”

Dr Ngurare said one thing that would also work in SWAPO Party’s favour was that opposition parties were going into those elections without a coherent strategy on how to face SWAPO Party, adding that they were still recovering from the bruises they sustained in the Okahandja debacle.

“They are fragmented,” he said. “At times they seem to forget that they are also different political parties which should face one another. Their preoccupation now is how to face SWAPO Party, not how to sell their manifestos. If they form a coalition, whose manifesto will prevail? None among them is eager to go it alone.

“Shortly after its formation, RDP claimed that it would reduce SWAPO Party’s two-thirds majority. It also claimed that it had 390 000 registered members. Where are they today? They are cowards. That is why they are talking about forming a coalition. No opposition party wants to stand against SWAPO Party alone. SWAPO’s punches are heavy to face them alone.

“Coalition or no coalition, we will defeat them in both the Regional and Local Authority elections. There is no doubt about that. However, we should not sleep on our laurels. We need a coordinated strategy that will destroy those opposition parties once and for all.”