GOBABIS: Swapo Regional Coordinator for Omaheke, Kejamuina Mungendje has his heart set on winning the region’s two constituencies that are not in Swapo’s hands.
Mungendje said he will put in all efforts in making sure that both Aminuis and Otjinene, which are in the hands of the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo), will be under Swapo’s leadership within the next five years.
The Swapo regional chief told Nampa in an interview that he will not rest until the party has secured the remaining two regions in order to have dominion over Omaheke.
Swapo controls the bulk of the Omaheke Region, with the remaining five constituencies being under its leadership.
“We are slowly but surely making inroads into those constituencies outside Swapo mandate and I am positive that with a little push we will be in control of Aminuis and Otjinene too,” he noted.
Nudo has managed to hold on to Otjinene in all previous elections at both local authority and national levels.
In Aminuis, the party largely owes its performance to the popularity of its president and long-serving leader, Ovaherero Chief Kuaima Riruako who was born there.
Although Nudo appears to have a rock-solid and determined electorate at Otjinene, its remaining constituency of Aminuis has of late shown signs of a dwindling support mainly due to internal strife. The result has been that the Swapo party, which had always played second fiddle to Nudo at Amunuis, starts catching up on Nudo through vote counts in past elections.
The last Local Authority and Regional Council elections saw Nudo votes been split into two after a prominent member of the party, Theo Ngaujake left the party and contested the elections as an independent candidate.
Ngaujake, who garnered in excess of 600 votes, received the highest number of votes from an independent candidate in a local authority and regional council election. Such state of affairs resulted in Swapo edging closer to Nudo at Aminuis.
Ngaujake has since joined Swapo last year – a move the party is counting on to swing votes in its favour.
“My aim is to restore confidence in the electorate and members of the party to keep on rallying behind the party. It is not an impossible feat, it can be done,” Mungendje noted.
Omaheke region is made out of Steinhausen, Gobabis, Kalahari, Amunuis, Otjombinde, Epukiro and Otjinene constituencies.