Allexer Namundjebo
Swapo’s secretary general, Sophia Shaningwa, has dismissed Reinhold Shipwikineni’s resignation from the party, calling it meaningless and accusing him of trying to sabotage the party from within.
Her comments came in a response letter after Shipwikineni submitted his resignation to the Swapo headquarters earlier this week.
Shaningwa said the party had already distanced itself from Shipwikineni when he publicly supported Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) presidential candidate Panduleni Itula ahead of the 2024 national elections.
“For that reason, the Swapo Party had already viewed you as no longer part of its membership,” said Shaningwa in a response letter.
She added that Shipwikineni’s exit was a relief, arguing that his actions exposed him as someone who attempted to destroy the organisation from within, a mission she claims was unsuccessful.
She said his departure brought relief, accusing him of attempting to destroy the party from the inside, a mission she says failed.
In his resignation letter, Shipwikineni criticises the party for deep-rooted corruption and a lack of internal renewal.
He said the failure to hold a congress after the death of President Hage Geingob was a key concern.
“The Swapo Party did not invent corruption; it inherited it. But we had the moral responsibility to dismantle the old boys and new boys’ networks that later gave rise to the Fishrot corruption saga,” he said.
Shipwikineni said the party had failed to address entrenched patronage systems and racial inequality.
He said the party no longer lived up to the values it once claimed to uphold.
He was one of five individuals who took Swapo to court over the legality of the extraordinary congress that nominated Geingob’s successor.
However, he confirmed that they have since filed to withdraw the case.
Despite withdrawing the challenge, Shipwikineni and the others are still contesting a cost order.
He now faces N$400,000 in legal fees claimed by Swapo’s lawyers.
