Swapo pledges to address nominations complaints

THERE is still a glimmer of hope for Swapo’s ousted Chairman of the National Council Kandy Nehova and his supporters at Ongwediva.

Top senior Swapo leadership appears to have taken an open-minded approach to the election debacle in various centres and in the northern town, which Nehova’s supporters boycotted, arguing that the process was manipulated to ensure he lost. Swapo Secretary for Information and Mobilisation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said complaints that have been made with the party about irregularities in elections would be “addressed within party machinery”.These include the Nehova debacle.Nehova failed to get a third-term re-election as Swapo’s regional council candidate for the Ongwediva constituency, a development that has threatened to widen the rift in the ruling party leadership.Threats of widespread demonstrations aimed at the Swapo Oshana office and its regional co-ordinator, Erastus Uutoni, did not materialise after the organisers failed to turn up.Supporters of the Council Chairman, who has held that position as a member of parliament for the Ongwediva constituency, claim that Uutoni spearheaded the formation of new branches illegally.Nandi-Ndaitwah said the complaint will be handled according to Swapo constitution.She said Swapo had “similar complaints” from different parts of the country “and we are working on them”.Nandi-Ndaitwah tried to play down Nehova’s situation saying, “it is normal” that whenever the elections have taken place in some cases people who fail to make it will complain.She said the complaints were not more than 10, but Nandi-Ndaitwah declined to say how many nominations irregularities have been recorded.Nehova’s failure to make it on the candidate’s list has been attributed to power clashes with Uutoni, which ensured that the regional co-ordinator was ousted from the list of municipal council candidate for the ruling party before the May elections.Uutoni and several others were eventually installed by the Swapo head office.But Nehova’s apparent support for axed Foreign Affairs Minister Hidipo Hamutenya has also been used by his backers as the possible reason he was ousted.In the past he has been re-elected despite reports of corruption and complaints by some of his constituency residents that he has not worked for them.The issues surrounding the elections need to be clear by the end of next week, which is the deadline for parties to submit the official lists of candidates to the Electoral Commission, for presidential, National Assembly and regional councils elections.Swapo Secretary for Information and Mobilisation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said complaints that have been made with the party about irregularities in elections would be “addressed within party machinery”.These include the Nehova debacle.Nehova failed to get a third-term re-election as Swapo’s regional council candidate for the Ongwediva constituency, a development that has threatened to widen the rift in the ruling party leadership.Threats of widespread demonstrations aimed at the Swapo Oshana office and its regional co-ordinator, Erastus Uutoni, did not materialise after the organisers failed to turn up.Supporters of the Council Chairman, who has held that position as a member of parliament for the Ongwediva constituency, claim that Uutoni spearheaded the formation of new branches illegally.Nandi-Ndaitwah said the complaint will be handled according to Swapo constitution.She said Swapo had “similar complaints” from different parts of the country “and we are working on them”.Nandi-Ndaitwah tried to play down Nehova’s situation saying, “it is normal” that whenever the elections have taken place in some cases people who fail to make it will complain.She said the complaints were not more than 10, but Nandi-Ndaitwah declined to say how many nominations irregularities have been recorded.Nehova’s failure to make it on the candidate’s list has been attributed to power clashes with Uutoni, which ensured that the regional co-ordinator was ousted from the list of municipal council candidate for the ruling party before the May elections.Uutoni and several others were eventually installed by the Swapo head office.But Nehova’s apparent support for axed Foreign Affairs Minister Hidipo Hamutenya has also been used by his backers as the possible reason he was ousted.In the past he has been re-elected despite reports of corruption and complaints by some of his constituency residents that he has not worked for them.The issues surrounding the elections need to be clear by the end of next week, which is the deadline for parties to submit the official lists of candidates to the Electoral Commission, for presidential, National Assembly and regional councils elections.