Shaningwa calls for calm ahead of Central Committee meeting – Windhoek Observer

Stefanus Nashama

SWAPO Party Secretary-General, Sophia Shaningwa, urged party members, followers, and sympathisers to remain calm ahead of the Central Committee (CC) meeting tomorrow.

The Central Committee is tasked to decide whether the party will have an extraordinary congress to elect the party president or if it will endorse Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as the party presidential candidate for the November elections.

“The rank and file of Swapo party, supporters and sympathisers are advised to remain calm while waiting for the leadership to engage and communicate back after the Central Committee meeting,” she said when contacted for an update today regarding the preparations for the Party’s CC meeting tomorrow.

“Yes, tomorrow is the Central Committee meeting. This is the very first meeting since the passing of our beloved President Hage Geingob. Painfully so, we are left by our leader at a very crucial time, the year of National and Presidential Elections 2024, come November, 27,” she said.

Shaningwa told this publication that what is important is that the Swapo Party will remain strong and united in all aspects.

“As Secretary General of the Swapo Party, I do not doubt that the leadership wouldn’t fail their party as the leadership navigated through many difficult challenges and they came out solid,” she stated.

The party is set to meet in Windhoek, where the Central Committee will decide the way forward on the endorsement of the Party’s Vice President Nandi-Ndaitwah as a presidential candidate at the national elections.

This meeting became possible, following a decision by Swapo Politburo, which last week, endorsed Nandi-Ndaitwah to represent the party at the upcoming election.

Geingob’s death has left party members with mixed feelings and it also created a vacancy for a new Party President.

Shaningwa said the role must be filled by someone else.

Although the politburo’s decision to endorse Nandi-Ndaitwah as the presidential candidate was referred to the Central Committee for approval, it is, however, not yet clear whether the committee will approve the decision.

The move is aimed at the party’s preparation for the November 2024 presidential and national elections and filling the presidential vacancy.