Africa-Press – Namibia. ELIASER NDEYANALE and SHELLEGYEN PETERSEN FORMER deputy minister of works and transport Sankwasa James Sankwasa claims Swapo’s 2017 congress, where president Hage Geingob and his Team Harambee won a landslide victory, was mired in bribery.
Sankwasa said the so-called Fishrot money “did not only cause external damage, but equally internal damage” to Swapo as congress delegates “were paid to vote only for candidates on the green list and not the red list”.
“There were two lists at the congress, a green one and a red one. Most, if not all those who scored the highest votes were and are from the green list. Comrades viewed as not too loyal or as being independent thinkers were placed on the red list, and were not bribed because they may have spilled the beans,” Sankwasa wrote in a message shared on social media.
He yesterday confirmed he is indeed the author of the widely shared message. The money allegedly dished out to delegates is believed to be part of N$75 million reportedly paid into the trust accounts of law firms De Klerk, Horn & Coetzee (DHC) Inc and Sisa Namandje & Co from the National Fishing Corporation of Namibia (Fishcor) to fund Swapo campaigns, including the 2017 elective congress.
Speaking to The Namibian yesterday, Sankwasa called on all Swapo leaders elected at the 2017 congress to resign from their positions as well as from parliament.
“This is where the image of the party is being seen by the general public who will pass their verdict in 2024,” Sankwasa said. During the 2017 elective congress, Geingob received 577 votes, while Jerry Ekandjo got 153, and Nahas Angula 39.
For the vice president position, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah won with 552 votes, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana came second with 194 votes, while Helmut Angula got 20 votes. Secretary general Sophia Shaningwa was victorious with 524 votes, followed by Armas Amukwiyu, who garnered 243 votes for this position.
The late Marco Hausiku won the deputy secretary general position with 540 votes, followed by Petrina Haingura in second place with 118 votes, and Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun in third place with 102 votes.
“The only thing that can be done now to restore the party’s image is for those implicated to resign, and the party would then have to have an extraordinary congress to nominate and elect their replacements,” Sankwasa yesterday said.
He said this is, however, unlikely due to the ongoing Fishrot court case. “But the court of public opinion we are going to face in 2024 does not look at technicalities, but probability. Is it probable that it may have happened or it didn’t happen.”
He added: “Right now we need truth to prevail and nothing else. That way we shall save the party from further public opinion decay.” In 2020, Iivula-Ithana alleged that delegates were bribed, saying the signs were there before and after Swapo’s congress where Hage Geingob was elected as party president.
“One did not just know where that money had come from. All the signs were there that there was money being splashed. We learnt that people were given envelopes with money after the congress,” he said.
Angula, who contested for the Swapo presidency position at the 2017 congress, yesterday said Sankwasa’s allegations do not matter. “What is important is the event unfolding in court. How can the party have access to state money and use it to fight its political battles?” he asked.
He also said the elections were tainted and unfair. “How could the party use state money which was not authorised to use by the parliament?” Angula asked.
Ekandjo, who also contested for the party presidency position, refused to comment on Sankwasa’s claims. “Ask Sankwasa himself. I am not his spokesperson,” he said. Swapo executive director Austin Samupwa said Swapo does not have a record of delegates paid at the Swapo congress.
“If he (Sankwasa) has evidence of that he should tell you who he saw being paid. He should give you evidence of that – unless he was paying people to vote for him,” he said.
Contacted for comment, Swapo spokesperson Hilma Nicanor first asked: “Who is James Sankwasa?” She then said elections are conducted according to party procedures and rules, and its constitution.
“I can’t stand here and comment on another person’s views. I don’t know what he meant by saying that people were paid [to vote for a certain team],” she said.
President Hage Geingob’s press secretary, Alfredo Hengari, yesterday said: “President Hage Geingob is occupied at an investment forum in the Hauts-de-France region [in France] with the objective to grow the economy and to create jobs in agriculture, tourism, and energy. The matters you are raising will do little to create jobs for our youth.” Other Swapo leaders, including Shaningwa and the party’s vice president Nandi-Ndaitwah, did not respond to requests for comment.
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