Swapo supporter Toini Ipinge was forced to park her emotions and back her son when he stood as an independent candidate in the Walvis Bay Urban constituency last year.
Even though they do not live together, she decided to spend more time with her son to understand why he turned his back on Swapo.
Knowledge Ipinge eventually wrestled the Walvis Bay Urban constituency from the ruling party.
Ipinge’s story is one of many examples of how politics is increasingly dividing families, but commentators believe there is more tolerance than before.
Ipinge is part of the independent candidate wave that has been pushed by the Affirmative Repositioning movement, led by Job Amupanda, and Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) president Panduleni Itula, who has since changed the political landscape with his unique street-walking campaign.
Ipinge’s mother remains a Swapo member but said she would stand by her son who now represents the interest of more than 35 800 people in his constituency.
“I still support him – especially now that things have changed. We have Fishrot, we have missing millions from the municipality, all those things, and we want answers, and we are not getting them,” Ipinge’s mother says.
“I didn’t know what it meant to be an independent candidate. I understood that he was still a member of Swapo, but he wanted to bring about change, which he wasn’t allowed to make while being a member of Swapo. I told him to do what he believes is right,” she says.
Like any other proud member of the ruling party, she hoisted a Swapo flag on the roof of her house at Kuisebmond right across the road from the party’s district office.
She also made space for her son to stick his campaign poster up on her wall, but leaving Swapo is considered as betrayal.
Swapo tried to fend off the individuals who formed the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) when the party was launched.
Some 12 years ago, former minister of mines and energy, Erkki Nghimtina, allegedly fired shots in the air upon hearing his 19-year-old nephew had joined the RDP, claiming he had raised him with “Swapo money”.
The same year, former president Hifikepunye Pohamba said Swapo members who joined the RDP were traitors, “like Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus”.
Residents of Keetmanshoop’s informal settlement have decorated their houses with political parties’ flags – especially that of Swapo and the Landless People’s Movement.
Informal settler Andrew Bloedooght says residents live in harmony despite their different political affiliations.
“We don’t need to be hostile to each other. Your democratic right allows you to affiliate to a party of your choice,” he says.
Bloedooght’s neighbour, Bennie Pete, says they live together in peace irrespective of their political affiliation, but at times a war of words erupts.
George Shaduka of Namport’s settlement at Walvis Bay and his wife moved to the Independent Patriots for Change this year.
Their son Laudika (19), however, refused to join the IPC and supports an alternative political party.
“What we need is to tolerate each other’s choices to avoid tension in the house. If the child wants to follow a different political party, he is free,” Shaduka says.
“… we have to motivate them to participate in the elections and not leave them to only vote on WhatsApp and Facebook,” he says.
Patrick Bathromeus, a Swapo member, says: “As long as you live in my house, you have to adhere to the rules of my house. I also have my constitutional rights.”
He says as a parent he has a right to dissociate from any party he is not supporting and if anyone in his household decides to associate with other parties, they must move out.
There has been several problematic incidents leading up to this year’s elections.
Popular Democratic Movement deputy secretary Linus Tobias, who has hoisted a big flag above his house at Oshakati West, says Namibian politics has matured as people are no longer removing other people’s flags – despite their political differences.
“In my area there are people who have IPC, NEFF and Swapo flags hoisted above their houses, but nobody seems to have a problem with it. We all live in harmony; there is tolerance,” Tobias says.
Frieda Katuta’s mother is contesting for a local authority councillor position at the Okahao local authority for the IPC.
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