Swapo seeks reputational cleansing

The Swapo think tank has cautioned that there is a need for the party to undergo a reputational exorcism to restore its tainted image, especially with general perceptions that the party has become an ‘elitist’ movement.

Swapo’s thinking body has also recommended that the party defers any plans to publicly unveil its new headquarters until after the next general election – set for in 2024 - is held.

Construction of the N$730 million headquarters by Chinese company Unik Construction, opposite a dilapidated Katutura State Hospital, started in 2019 and has attracted intense critique from the public.

Many party veterans, such as former prime minister Nahas Angula, have charged that the party these days only attracts members who seek economic opportunities while they have no clue about the former liberation movement’s ideology.

In fact, even the so-called Helmut Amendments, which dictate that only people who have consecutively served in the party’s central committee may stand for higher positions such as president, were created to ward off perceived economic and political opportunists.

These recommendations are contained in a think tank position paper, seen by Namibian Sun, focused on youth empowerment and enhancing political participation, which was presented to the central committee last weekend.

“Bad publicity has tainted the reputation of the party. Scandals like the Fishrot saga have led to a lot of young people moving away from the party,” the party’s intellectual body said.

“The newly built Swapo party office has also caused disillusionment among the public,” the paper, authored by party members Hallo Angala and Ivan Pieters, stated.

Reputation management

The Fishrot corruption scandal, unearthed in late 2019, saw former Namibian Cabinet ministers Bernhardt Esau and Sakeus 'Sacky' Shanghala, along with seven other suspects, implicated and alleged to have received N$103.6 million from Icelandic company Samherji to allow the company unfair access to Namibian horse mackerel quotas.

A number of Swapo Party Youth League top leaders have also been fingered to have benefitted from Fishrot, including its secretary Ephraim Nekongo.

The paper further read: “The general view is that the party has become elitist and is not sensitive to the plight of ordinary Namibians”.

"There is a need for reputation management within the party through the development of more visible social programmes," Angala added.

In his submission, he proposed that the party postpones the launch and opening of the new office, while still operating in it.

For the youth

The think tank also recommended that the party establishes a youth mentorship programme to groom young people in the party ranks, introduce a youth quota and that regional structures be mandated to add a position of youth representative that will pave the way for at least one youth to serve on the regional executive committee.

There are also calls for the party to increase initiatives such as scholarships, food aid programmes and internships to revamp its visibility.

Further, employment of someone to head the party’s elections activities will go a long way in coordinating the party’s campaigns, the think tank said.

When contacted to comment on the proposals contained in the paper, Nekongo said “brief discussions should not be pre-empted”.

"The discussions in the report were merely that. The party came together to discuss various research done by members. This will be made clearer at the party's next policy conference," he said.