Swapo’s Veikko Nekundi predicts 96 parliamentary seats following Nandi-Ndaitwah’s rescue

Deputy minister of works and transport Veikko Nekundi believes Swapo will get 96 parliamentary seats after the November Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Nekundi was saved by Swapo vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who added his name to her list of 10 nominated candidates, after he failed to make it to Swapo’s top 96 list at the electoral college, guaranteeing a parliamentary seat.

Nekundi replaced sport ministry executive director Erastus Haitengela on the vice president’s list.

“I am confident that Swapo will have 96 in parliament,” he says.

Swapo national spokesperson Hilma Nicanor says Nekundi’s capacity and capability earned him a spot on Nandi-Ndaitwah’s list.

“It’s official, Nekundi has been appointed to the list of 10 vice presidential candidates. Recognising her wisdom, she selected a trusted cadre whose leadership is highly appreciated by the party,” adds Nicanor.

Nekundi says he is always ready to help grow Swapo, whether in parliament or not.

“Swapo has close to a million members, we can’t all go to parliament,” he says.

Haitengela says there is nothing wrong with Nandi-Ndaitwah’s decision.

“I was a card-carrying member of Swapo long before independence and I am a registered voter. I have been voting since independence,” he says.

“I am going to vote for her excellency, our NNN for president, and for the mighty Swapo party come 27 November,” he asserts.

Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah says replacing nominees for parliament raises several important questions.

“One might wonder why Nandi-Ndaitwah didn’t wait until after the elections to nominate Nekundi among the eight non-voting members of parliament. This sudden replacement, before the elections, seems unusual,” he says.

According to Kamwanyah, since Nandi-Ndaitwah’s supporters didn’t perform well in the Swapo electoral college, it raises suspicion about whether this replacement could indicate internal conflicts or power struggles happening behind the scenes.

This may suggest a strategic motive behind the decision beyond just filling a position, says Kamwanyah.

Another possibility is that the move aims to help secure a position for Nekundi, who didn’t make it into the top 70 list of candidates in the electoral college.

“With Swapo’s current parliamentary numbers (63 seats), it seems unlikely that Nekundi would have made it into parliament without this nomination. Therefore, this might be a way to ensure that key party members have a place in parliament if they don’t make it through the regular election process,” he adds.