SPYL’s Nekongo takes a swipe at opposition parties’ ability to run the country

Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) secretary Ephraim Nekongo has taken a swipe at opposition parties, arguing that they cannot run their own households and villages, and therefore cannot run the country.

Nekongo criticised opposition parties, claiming they lack the experience to govern and even made disparaging remarks about their ability to run households and villages.

He urged voters at Outapi to give Swapo and presidential candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah overwhelming support in the upcoming elections. Nekongo made an assertion that Swapo and its presidential candidate, Nandi-Ndaitwah, deserve nothing less than 100% of the votes, effectively nullifying opposition parties in the National Assembly.

Nekongo was speaking at a Swapo rally at Outapi on Sunday.

“Let’s give Netumbo 100% of the votes and 100% for Swapo so that Swapo plans will not be hindered by opposition parties in the National Assembly next year,” he said.

“Let’s go and vote so that anything we plan to do will sail through and nobody will oppose us in the National Assembly. For example, when a bill comes, it will be implemented. Let’s go and vote in big numbers,” Nekongo urged.

He urged supporters to engage in door-to-door campaigns and convince others to vote for Swapo.

“Let’s talk to our people. Let’s not be afraid of them. Let’s tell them the truth so we can avoid what happened in South Africa being replicated in Namibia. They said they wanted change. That will not happen in Namibia. It will probably happen in America,” he said.

Speaking at the same event, former Outapi constituency councillor Simon Shileka claims the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) event that was held in the town on Saturday was not as well-attended as Sunday’s Swapo event.

“They were fewer than us, so don’t be afraid. They were from all corners of the country, as far as from Karasburg.

They were with their president. Our president is not here but we are more than them,” Shileka said.

Outapi district coordinator Petrus Achilles says Swapo’s rally did not come after IPC held its event, which included the opening of a new party office near Outapi, but it was a continuation of the party’s campaigns in the run-up to the November elections.

Omusati governor Erginus Endjala at the rally urged eligible voters to go and register. According to Endjala, only 85 000 people registered to vote in the whole of the Omusati region.

To Endjala, this is a small number as the region has a population of 300 000 people. “If we reach about 150 000 or 180 000, our people have registered to vote . . . It must be our responsibility to go and register to vote,” he said.

Swapo Party Women’s Council secretary Fransina Kahungu urged women to vote for Nandi-Ndaitwah, saying this will be the first time the country will have a female presidential candidate.

Namibia will go to the polls on 27 November to elect the new president and members of the National Assembly for 2025 to 2029.