Swapo Party Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says the just-ended verification and subsequent announcement of the Central Committee results are evidence that the Namibian nation is in good and capable hands.
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, at the closing of the drawn-out verification and certification process, commended all party members, particularly those who worked tirelessly around the clock since the start of the congress on the 25th of November.
The Swapo Party's 7th Elective Congress, however, did not have a smooth ending.
The announcement of the top four was received with roaring applause.
Returning Officer Joshua Kaumbi says it became clear that he had only verified and certified the results of the top three, namely those of the Vice President, Secretary General, and Deputy Secretary General.
It was after the announcement of the names of the 70 members of the Central Committee that a feeling of confusion and uncertainty rose among party members.
Kaumbi explained that he announced the names of the elected CC members without signing them off.
The list of female candidates saw the absence of political heavyweights such as Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Education Minister Anna Nghipondoka, and veteran politician and Governor of the |Khomas Region, Laura McLeod Katjirua.
Lawyer Kaumbi, on the other hand, was quick to tell nbc News that he made a mistake that needed to be corrected.
"After releasing the results, I realized that it was not verified by the auditors; that's a very important step because we said it was a free and fair election."
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the Swapo Party's presidential candidate for the 2024 national elections, commends Kaumbi's actions.
"What he did was humbling," she said. "I watched him, I watched him on the screen when he was talking, humbling himself to the Namibian people, humbling himself to Swapo Party members, pleading with us, saying give me a chance to correct myself."
Some of those who had made it to the CC but are no longer on it have had their celebratory lights turned off and their taste of power within the party dimmed.
Sophia Shangingwa advised the party members that taking the legal route would result in the waste of already scarce and limited resources.