Shifeta slams withdrawal ‘propaganda’

Swapo vice-presidential candidate Pohamba Shifeta has hit back at the "enemies of progress" who are claiming he was planted in the race for tactical reasons and that he will withdraw later to pave the way for one of the candidates – notably Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.

Shifeta, a popular figure in the Swapo central committee, who garnered the highest number of votes during voting for vice-presidential candidates recently, said withdrawing is not part of his plan and such action will disappoint those who have vested their faith in him.

He is up against incumbent vice-president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, in a three-horse race.

Party veteran Jerry Ekandjo is expected to join the race after challenging the inclusions of ministers Tom Alweendo and Frans Kapofi, who he argued did not qualify to contest due to the so-called Helmut Amendments.

Alweendo did not make the cut during voting, while Kapofi sailed through before withdrawing from the race altogether last week. Kapofi told Namibian Sun he did not want to be viewed as a candidate who was "bulldozed" into the race, hence his decision to withdraw.

Carefully considered

Speaking to Namibian Sun over the weekend, Shifeta said: "I’m not withdrawing and I will never withdraw. That is propaganda, and whoever is spreading that is an enemy of progress.

"When I was approached by comrades to stand in the position of vice-president of the Swapo Party, I consulted widely and applied my mind correctly before I conceded to the demands of many comrades who wanted me to stand," the environment minister said.

"My decision to respond to the call for me to stand was not by chance but well thought out. Hence, I can’t disappoint my comrades and the nation by withdrawing," the minister, who is an admitted lawyer, added.

Who is Shifeta?

At 54, Pohamba Penomwenyo Shimbilinga Shifeta is the youngest contender in the race. This October, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila will turn 55, making her slightly older.

The 5th of 12 siblings, Shifeta was born in Ongenga, in Ohangwena Region, and completed his primary schooling there.

Born to a teacher mother and a father who worked for Consolidated Diamond Mines (CDM), a forerunner of present-day Namdeb, his childhood was fairly comfortable.

"My father was in and out of jail for his political activities – and that’s how I got my first encounter with politics," Shifeta recalls.

"My father constantly interacted with Swapo soldiers who sought help from our house. Those soldiers constantly told us to get involved in Swapo politics, so we were oriented in Swapo politics from an early age."

But it was in 1984 when he started becoming actively involved - first in student politics with the Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso) and then the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL), which catapulted him into the big time of national politics.

Eye-catching

He served as Nanso secretary general before becoming president of the same organisation in 1994. He immersed himself deeper into student politics by becoming vice-president of the University of Namibia (Unam) student representative council.

For eight years, between 1997 and 2005, he was secretary-general (or CEO) of the National Youth Council of Namibia (NYC).

It was during this period that he first drew the attention of Swapo leaders, including former president Sam Nujoma, as a potential future leader of Swapo.

Coming through the structures of SPYL, Shifeta, then aged 37, joined parliament in 2005 and became the deputy minister of youth and sport.

In a December 2012 Cabinet reshuffle, he was transferred to the ministry of environment as deputy minister, before ascending to the full ministerial portfolio of the same ministry in 2015.

Achilles heel

Becoming Swapo vice-president will not be smooth sailing for the neat, clean-shaven environment minister. First, he is the least experienced among the lot – especially in government, where he has only served as a full minister for seven years.

Second, the heavy burden of the Kora Music Awards, where N$23.5 million of public money vanished with controversial Beninese businessman Ernest Adjovi, weighs heavily on his legacy.

But among all government officials involved in the failed music event, it was Shifeta who showed some fight. It is believed that his involvement in the event was a result of instructions from his principals in government, and when the deal collapsed and the money vanished, he pursued the matter in the courts through the Namibia Tourism Board, which won the case.

The money is not likely to be paid back, though, as Adjovi remains far away from Namibia.

Shifeta’s competitors and detractors will use the Kora debacle at an opportune time to discredit his campaigns ahead of congress in November.

The plus side

As a minister, Shifeta is largely perceived to be a good performer. And while he has had the shortest career as a full minister, his 10-year spell as deputy minister, punctuated by some of the highest votes in the Swapo central committee, has helped Shifeta’s organic growth as a leader.

Being a man also helps Shifeta in a major way, one Swapo official said last week.

"Swapo is not ready for a female president. The country may be ready, but Swapo itself is a conservative party, which still believes in men more than it does in women," said the official.

He added: "Shifeta doesn’t make enemies, and that’s what makes him a very likeable guy, which is reflected in the number of votes he gets whenever there are central committee elections."

His age also counts in his favour, amid calls for the party to start letting go of its veterans, who have maintained a tight grip on top positions.

Shifeta is also in the good books of party president and head of state Hage Geingob, with whom he travelled over the weekend to Angola for the inauguration of that country’s president and then to the United Kingdom for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.