Fresh Election Held in Search for Swapo’s Hardap Chief

Luqman Cloete

9 June 2011

The Hardap Swapo Party regional executive committee on Monday held fresh elections in search for a candidate to fill a position as the ruling party’s regional coordinator.

In an earlier election former Hardap governor Karl Kisting, Sophia Jacobs and Hansina Huisemas garnered the most votes which resulted in their names being forwarded to the Swapo head office for verification and approval by the party’s Politburo.

However, the party’s politburo declined to endorse any of the three candidates as Hardap Swapo party’s acting chief until the next elective meeting and had ordered a fresh election.

Sources hinted the influence of some regional leaders led to the Politburo decision to reject the candidates.

“The rejected candidates were victims of power struggle for influence in the region,” one source hinted.

The absence of some party assigned leaders to the region at an elective meeting at which the rejected candidates were elected was give as the main reason.

Present at the latter elective meeting were chairperson of the assigned leaders to the region Jerry Ekandjo, who doubles as Local Government Minister, Hardap governor Katrina Hanse-Himarwa and Minister of Information and Communication Technology Joel Kaapanda.

In addition, the Swapo party’s politburo noted that some of the elected candidates were already holding top party positions in the region.

This, according to a party insider, referred to Kisting, who doubles as the Hardap Swapo party’s elders council secretary.

At Monday’s elective meeting Huisemas, Jacobs and Reverend Stefanus Tiboth garnered majority votes and their names were forwarded for verification and approval by the party’s Politburo.

Other that were also vying for the position were Stefanus Dax, Seth Kohima, Dawid Richter and Sherally McNab.

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