Prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila is set to be demoted to the position of speaker of the National Assembly, with former Swapo Party Youth League leader Elijah Ngurare tipped to take over from her.
This would mark the end of Kuugongelwa-Amadhila’s 10-year tenure as head of the government.
The Namibian understands that Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has already visited the parliament building to ensure the new office meets her requirements.
The appointments mark significant shifts in Namibia’s political landscape under president-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s incoming administration. She is expected to appoint advisers instead of deputy ministers, a move seen as an attempt to safeguard Swapo’s dominance in the National Assembly.
By yesterday, the incoming president was said to have been deciding who will be her vice president while leaning towards a younger health minister. Businessman Leake Hangala is among those linked to key positions in the upcoming administration, while mines minister Tom Alweendo is expected to be demoted to presidential adviser.
Some sources said she wanted to keep the vice president post vacant, but her hand could be forced, compelling her to make a choice.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila could be one of Geingob’s key technocrats facing demotion, alongside current finance minister Iipumbu Shiimi, who reportedly has been de-campaigned for his tough stance on reviving Air Namibia and his resistance to continuing state funding for Meatco.
Phillipus Katamelo, who placed 10th on Swapo’s election list, is being considered for the deputy speaker role but is refraining from discussing possible nominations.
Meanwhile, minister of defence and veterans affairs Frans Kapofi, who did not secure a seat through Swapo’s electoral college last year, is set to be retained through Nandi-Ndaitwah’s hand-picked list of eight appointees.
Kapofi yesterday said, “That information has not reached me yet, but it will be known between today and tomorrow.
If I am requested to serve in a role, I will consider it. But I am not young anymore, I won’t accept something I can’t do. My country comes first.”
Swapo deputy secretary general Uahekua Herunga is being considered for the party’s chief whip position in the National Assembly, which is currently held by Hamunyera Hambyuka
Herunga yesterday said he would wait until today to comment, when “that information is available”.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila is regarded as one of the most efficient technocrats within Swapo.
However, the party is facing challenges in parliament after their seats were reduced to 51.
Appointing deputy ministers would have allowed key parliamentary committees to be led by opposition parties.
Sources suggest that Kuugongelwa-Amadhila was informed of the transition in February and initially considered rejecting the offer but later accepted.
She did not respond to the questions sent to her. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila still faces an election process today, where 96 parliamentarians will vote for speaker and deputy speaker.
But with Swapo winning 51 out of 96 seats, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila is expected to win. If confirmed, it will be the first time in 30 years that she will not be part of the Cabinet, as the speaker and deputy speaker roles do not allow simultaneous Cabinet sit-ins.
National Assembly spokesperson Sakeus Kadhikwa told The Namibian that no official directive has been issued regarding office alterations.
“As for the alteration of the office, we don’t have such a directive. Remember we still don’t know who is the speaker and deputy speaker,” he said.
NGURARE AND HIS NINE LIVES
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila’s departure will be a blow to Ngurare, who was pushed into political obscurity by former president Hage Geingob. Ngurare (54) is expected to be named prime minister tomorrow in a stunning political comeback nearly a decade after his expulsion from the ruling party.
His appointment signals a reversal of fortune after he was expelled from Swapo in 2015, alongside Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader Job Amupanda, Dimbulukeni Nauyoma and George Kambala for what then secretary general Nangolo Mbumba called “incompatible conduct”.
Since his expulsion, Ngurare remained outside Swapo’s structures until Nandi-Ndaitwah revived his political career by placing him on her personal list for the National Assembly during last year’s Swapo electoral college, known as the “Pot.”
Ngurare did not respond to questions sent to him.
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