{"id":36499,"date":"2022-12-24T15:31:58","date_gmt":"2022-12-24T15:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget"},"modified":"2022-12-24T15:37:13","modified_gmt":"2022-12-24T15:37:13","slug":"2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget","title":{"rendered":"2022: The year Netumbo will remember, but Saara may want to forget"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>THIS year will go down as a historical political year \u2013 especially for the ruling party.<\/p>\n

Deputy prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s election as Swapo vice president is probably Namibia’s biggest political story of the year, since it took her close to the State House throne.<\/p>\n

For prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, 2022 was a year of massive political setbacks after she lost out on the race to be Namibia’s first woman president.<\/p>\n

Nandi-Ndaitwah defeated Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and minister of environment, forestry and tourism Pohamba Shifeta at Swapo’s congress.<\/p>\n

It was not that clear that Nandi-Ndaitwah would emerge victorious at the congress, especially since Kuugongelwa-Amadhila and Shifeta are said to have been president Hage Geingob’s preference.<\/p>\n

Her rivals code-named Nandi-Ndaitwah ‘Old Mutual’ in reference to her age at the peak of Swapo’s congress campaigns.<\/p>\n

The next six months could provide insight into the shift of power in Swapo, especially with speculation that Geingob could reshuffle his Cabinet.<\/p>\n

That includes making a decision on whether to keep Kuugongelwa-Amadhila as prime minister or to promote Nandi-Ndaitwah as state vice president to replace Nangolo Mbumba.<\/p>\n

Mbumba has in the past indicated he wants to step down, but Geingob is said to have urged his trusted right-hand man to stay on.<\/p>\n

It’s not clear what Kuugongelwa-Amadhila’s future looks like.<\/p>\n

Nandi-Ndaitwah and Swapo secretary general Sophia Shaningwa could have a massive say in this.<\/p>\n

Those around Kuugongelwa-Amadhila say her biggest lesson this year was probably to avoid controversial people around her campaign.<\/p>\n

Her decision to appoint former oil exploration manager and now National Planning Commission director general Obeth Kandjoze to head her campaign is considered by some as one of her biggest blunders.<\/p>\n

In contrast, Nandi-Ndaitwah used party strategists who have over the years won political battles.<\/p>\n

All eyes will be on the company Nandi-Ndaitwah will keep in the next few years. There are already fears that military generals will be back in a position of influence.<\/p>\n

THE TOM AND<\/p>\n

JERRY SHOW<\/p>\n

One of The Namibian’s political front-page stories of the year was titled ‘Tom & Jerry eye Swapo vice presidency’.<\/p>\n

Neither Jerry Ekandjo nor Tom Alweendo made it to the final four candidate lists, but the headline was probably a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.<\/p>\n

In hindsight, it also reflected how the party went into a chaotic congress marred with legal threats.<\/p>\n

The congress itself was controversial.<\/p>\n

Lawyer Joshua Kaumbi messed up so badly that votes for the party’s central committee had to be recounted.<\/p>\n

GEINGOB’S FRAGILE POWER<\/p>\n

Another story of the year is on the president’s fragile hold on power.<\/p>\n

It is not news that outgoing presidents lose power as they near the end of their terms.<\/p>\n

For months, Geingob is said to have promised fellow party leaders he would step down in 2024 as party president.<\/p>\n

Last week, Geingob made an about-turn and announced he would stay on until 2027.<\/p>\n

This could point to a president who wants to have the political power to negotiate his exit.<\/p>\n

Geingob made several moves this month which point to a man who is not sure of political protection.<\/p>\n

He appointed his trusted lawyer, Sisa Namandje, to Swapo’s central committee and politburo.<\/p>\n

Namandje is linked to the Swapo legal secretary position.<\/p>\n

FROM PEOPLE’S CHOICE TO LITHIUM MINISTER<\/p>\n

Mines minister Tom Alweendo was considered ‘the people’s choice’ among some young Swapo supporters who pushed him for top positions in the party.<\/p>\n

But a scandal involving lithium has tainted his reputation.<\/p>\n

Three government officials were linked to a controversial N$50-million lithium mining deal which enriched their friends and relatives through a mineral that powers the world’s green economy.<\/p>\n

Lithium is at the centre of a global scramble, because it is used to create batteries for electric vehicles.<\/p>\n

The three officials connected to the transaction are Rafael ‘Ralph’ Muyamba, a former technical assistant to the mines minister, Timoteus Mashuna, a historian in the Ministry of Defence and Veterans Affairs, and Ndili Benyamen, a mines ministry geologist and friend of Mashuna.<\/p>\n

Last year, The Namibian asked Alweendo about this deal, but the ministry pleaded ignorance.<\/p>\n

That deal came to haunt Alweendo after it implicated his adviser, who later resigned.<\/p>\n

Alweendo’s future as mines minister now hangs in the balance.<\/p>\n

THE PDM POWER<\/p>\n

STRUGGLE<\/p>\n

Another political story that could spill into next year is the power struggle in the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) between party leader McHenry Venaani and parliamentarian Vipuakuje Muharukua.<\/p>\n

Although the party’s battles are not as prominent as Swapo’s, signs indicate there will be an attempt to challenge Venaani.<\/p>\n

It is not clear if Muharukua has the numbers or the political gravitas to beat Venaani.<\/p>\n

ITULA EYES VILLAGES<\/p>\n

Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) leader Panduleni Itula has this year maintained his no-nonsense stance on corruption-accused party leaders.<\/p>\n

Itula was largely seen this year at villages, a strategy that appears to be focused on canvassing support from rural areas where his party failed to garner enough votes in past elections.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. THIS year will go down as a historical political year \u2013 especially for the ruling party. Deputy prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s election as Swapo vice president is probably Namibia’s biggest political story of the year, since it took her close to the State House throne. For prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, 2022 was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":36497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,10,12],"tags":[234,236,233],"class_list":["post-36499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-parties","category-policy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-namibia","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\n2022: The year Netumbo will remember, but Saara may want to forget - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2022: The year Netumbo will remember, but Saara may want to forget\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Namibia. THIS year will go down as a historical political year \u2013 especially for the ruling party. Deputy prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s election as Swapo vice president is probably Namibia’s biggest political story of the year, since it took her close to the State House throne. For prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, 2022 was […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-24T15:31:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-12-24T15:37:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"2022: The year Netumbo will remember, but Saara may want to forget\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-24T15:31:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-24T15:37:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget\"},\"wordCount\":854,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1671883446.04.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"africa press\",\"Africa Press-Namibia\",\"namibia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"parties\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget\",\"name\":\"2022: The year Netumbo will remember, but Saara may want to forget - Namibia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1671883446.04.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-24T15:31:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-12-24T15:37:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1671883446.04.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1671883446.04.jpg\",\"width\":750,\"height\":450,\"caption\":\"2022: The year Netumbo will remember, but Saara may want to forget\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"2022: The year Netumbo will remember, but Saara may want to forget\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/\",\"name\":\"Namibia\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"2022: The year Netumbo will remember, but Saara may want to forget - Namibia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"2022: The year Netumbo will remember, but Saara may want to forget","og_description":"Africa-Press – Namibia. THIS year will go down as a historical political year \u2013 especially for the ruling party. Deputy prime minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s election as Swapo vice president is probably Namibia’s biggest political story of the year, since it took her close to the State House throne. For prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, 2022 was […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget","og_site_name":"Namibia","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2022-12-24T15:31:58+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-12-24T15:37:13+00:00","author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"2022: The year Netumbo will remember, but Saara may want to forget","datePublished":"2022-12-24T15:31:58+00:00","dateModified":"2022-12-24T15:37:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget"},"wordCount":854,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1671883446.04.jpg","keywords":["africa press","Africa Press-Namibia","namibia"],"articleSection":["all news","parties","policy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget","name":"2022: The year Netumbo will remember, but Saara may want to forget - Namibia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1671883446.04.jpg","datePublished":"2022-12-24T15:31:58+00:00","dateModified":"2022-12-24T15:37:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1671883446.04.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2022\/12\/postQueueImg_1671883446.04.jpg","width":750,"height":450,"caption":"2022: The year Netumbo will remember, but Saara may want to forget"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/2022-the-year-netumbo-will-remember-but-saara-may-want-to-forget#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"2022: The year Netumbo will remember, but Saara may want to forget"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/","name":"Namibia","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}