No room for underhanded dealings – LPM

The deputy leader of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), Henny Seibeb, yesterday thanked party members for helping it retain the Keetmanshoop Rural constituency and maintaining a stronghold in the //Kharas Regional Council.

The party now has four council seats out of seven.

The LPM won the Keetmans­hoop Rural constituency by-election held on Monday, with its candidate, the former chairperson of the Koës village management committee, Willem Labuschagne, garnering 1 270 votes out of 2 912 cast.

Elias !Kharuxab of Swapo obtained 872 votes, followed by independent candidate Gerrit Witbooi with 463 votes.

Johannes Eiman of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) came fourth with 275 votes, and Magdalena Stoffel of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) received 32 votes.

“We have shown once again that people must vote for political programmes, political ideas, and what we can offer, rather than personalities,” Seibeb told Desert Radio yesterday.

He said the party will continue with its socio-economic programmes, including issuing certificates of permission to occupy urban land in the //Kharas and Hardap regions.

The Keetmanshoop municipality granted 400 pre-allocation plots at Krönlein two weeks ago, and was scheduled to distribute further plots at Tseiblaagte last week.

The PDM has congratulated the LPM on its victory.

“Our poor performance encourages us to go back to the drawing board and reinvent ourselves as the alternative movement,” party secretary general Manuel Ngaringombe said.

In the final days leading up to the by-election, LPM members opened cases of defamation of character and vandalism of campaign materials, and accused Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) officials of tampering with sensitive election material to register more people for voting in favour of Swapo.

The allegations were denounced by ECN chief elections and referendum officer Theo Mujoro, but led to members of the LPM invading the Keetmanshoop Police Station and staging a two-day protest.

LPM policy and programmes unit manager Eneas Emvula described the elections as free and fair.

“We believe that our radical stance . . . led to ECN officials, the police and party agents knowing there is no room for underhanded dealings here,” he said.

The executive director of the Institute for Public Policy Research, Graham Hopwood, says the by-election results show the LPM’s credibility among its core supporters in the south has not been affected by infighting in the party.

“At the same time, Swapo’s vote is not collapsing, so the ruling party still has a base to engineer a revival for 2024,” he says.

Political analyst Rui Tyitende says the difference between the LPM and other parties is that the LPM has been visible on the ground.

“Politics is about visibility and constant engagement with your constituents, and that is what the LPM has been able to achieve successfully . . .

“This election was a litmus test for Swapo and Nandi-Ndaitwah as the party seeks to resuscitate its bruised reputation,” Tyitende says.
//Kharas regional coordinator for Swapo, Matthew Mumbala, said: “It is clear from these results that residents are looking favourable at Swapo again.”

Mumbala says the party acknowledges its mistakes and will refocus its energy on responding to residents’ needs.

Newly elected Keetmanshoop Rural constituency councillor Labuschagne says he wants to see community members are provided the tools to become self-sustaining.

After the announcement of the results he said socio-economic development will be key in providing people with an income, land for ownership, as well as its productive use to create generational wealth.

“The government has purchased over 30-million hectares of land in the Keetmanshoop Rural constituency, which has been lying idle for years. This land needs to be occupied and become productive land for its citizens,” he said.

Meanwhile, Witbooi has described the elections as free and fair.

“I accept the outcome, as the people have spoken. The new councillor must just come and work now,” he said.