Africa-Press – Namibia. ANDREAS THOMAS and MERCY KARUOOMBE DELEGATES from the Swapo Party Women’s Council (SPWC) have began arrived in Windhoek, Ongwediva and Rundu for the four day virtual elective congress starting tomorrow, which will elect a new leadership for the next five years. SPWC secretary Eunice Iipinge says they opted to hold the congress online due to the persistent threat of Covid-19.
As a result, delegates from all 14 regions are divided into three groups of 200. Delegates from Kunene, Omusati, Oshana and Oshikoto will gather at Ongwediva, while Rundu caters for Ohangwena, Otjozondjupa, Zambezi, Kavango East and Kavango West, and the Khomas region hosts delegates from Erongo, //Kharas, Hardap and Omaheke.
Iipinge says the congress will elect a secretary, deputy secretary and 51 members of the central committee. Iipinge’s term will end at the congress after her election at Keetmanshoop in 2016. Her deputy and former mayor of Windhoek, Fransina Kahungu, is one of two nominees for the position of secretary. She goes up against Katrina Liswani, a government official in the ministry of gender.
“The SPWC was created with a specific purpose to fight for women’s empowerment and gender equality, and to ensure women are fully participating in decision making of the party and society at large,” Iipinge says.
However, analysts believe that the SPWC is not doing enough to advance issues concerning women. “I don’t think they are vocal enough. In many ways they have been dormant in articulating issues that affect women and also not just women but issues affecting society,” says policy analyst Ndumba Kamwanya.
“From my observation, they haven’t done very much on all fronts and at the level of what they are supposed to do. Most of the time, they have been only following the Swapo line of thinking.”
Gender activist Linda Baumann says the SPWC has a presence but can do more and better. “Women’s issues are something that continuously require a strong voice that speaks on the realities that extend to women’s injustices, inequalities and discrimination.
“I think they have done a lot of work, however, there are challenges they need to improve upon, like creating visibility and investing in issues that affect women and young girls in the country,” Baumann says.
Former Swapo secretary general and member of the SPWC central committee Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana stresses that many analysts speak from a point of observation.
“It might be that way when you look at it from afar. If you don’t know what is supposed to go into policy formulation or policy implementation, you may feel things are not being done. But behind the scenes, a lot has been going on.
“We’re realistic to say, a lot is done but we still have a lot to do. The congress is a platform for women to talk about themselves and what we need to do. It is not about Pendukeni and those who have been in the limelight. It’s more about those at the grass roots because they feel the brunt of whatever is happening in the country.
“They are the ones who are going to enrich policies, they will come up with proposals as to why we are not doing it this way, or why don’t we do it that way. Then after this congress, you will see policies that will come out or the resolutions that would be talking about some of these issues as to what needs to be done next,” says Iivula-Ithana.
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