Namibia under a Swapo government

The Swapo Party manifesto was unveiled on September 6 and adopts the theme: “Striving for Economic Independence and Prosperity for All”.
In the 42-page document, Swapo opens with a statement of intent – that Swapo remains the only driving force for change in Namibia. “The party has delivered on its promises to the Namibian nation over the past 19 years and remains a tried and tested political party with the credibility and capacity to yet again deliver on its promises,” President Hifikepunye Pohamba states in the foreword.
Presenting the party’s policies and strategies for the next five years President Pohamba declares, “Swapo would, without failure, transform its strategies into practical and implementable projects and programmes to accelerate economic growth.”
The opening statement in the manifesto is followed by priority policy areas for the next five years.
Democracy - The ruling party pledges to uphold the principles of democracy, human rights and freedom and vigorously continue safeguarding, maintaining and enhancing national unity in diversity, the rule of law, good governance, peace, security and justice through the development and strengthening of essential institutions.
Economic management - The party is quick to admit that the manifesto comes at a time of a global economic downturn, which is impacting upon the economic performance of Namibia but expresses confidence that the country is expected to withstand the crisis. Swapo says it will promote economic development based on principles of a mixed economy; attract and retain investment; maintain prudent macroeconomic policies; and emphasise growth in the following economic sectors: agriculture, mining, fisheries and aquaculture, manufacturing, tourism, finance, information and communication technology, transport, construction and energy.
Health – The party pledges to devote sufficient resources to the combating of HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases; increase communication and construction of hospitals, clinics and health centres; equipping existing health infrastructure; intensify national immunisation to increase coverage from the current 75 percent to 80 percent; reduce the maternity mortality rate; and improve working conditions for doctors, nurses and health personnel in rural areas.
Housing and settlement – The manifesto says that the provision of housing is a priority. Swapo promises to accelerate the provision of affordable housing and access to title deeds; reform communal land holding in villages and settlements; and review the resettlement policy;
Environmental management – Measures proposed include: implementing laws and policies to ensure sustainable exploration of the natural resources; put in place measures to mitigate the effects of climate change; and strengthening the National Emergency Preparedness Strategy to mitigate the negative effects of natural calamities.
Social upliftment and empowerment – Swapo intends to revise laws, policies and programmes related to land acquisition and re-distribution and to increase the amount of land acquired and transferred while accelerating the resettlement process. This is to ensure access to land by the majority of Namibians and achieve equitable land ownership patterns. On the youth, Swapo wants to earmark resources and expand the National Youth Service programme and equip recruits with the necessary skills. The party wants to prioritise the implementation of Black Economic Empowerment programmes in private sector development, access to finance, skills development, joint ventures access to technology, product development, and public procurement.
Human capital development – Swapo says education is key to national economic and social development. The party continues to strongly support the implementation of the Education and Training Sector Improvement Programme (ETSIP), as a roadmap for the education improvement to meet the goals set in the Vision 2030. Swapo wants to review and improve pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary education; enhance vocational training and skills development; ensure sustainable supply of medium to high skilled labour; expand existing vocational training centres; improve and expand the educational infrastructure and delivery system and provide educational opportunities to adults and out of school youth.
Safety nets for vulnerable groups – Measures include supporting school feeding programmes; and improving social grants for orphans and vulnerable children, senior citizen, war veterans, and people with disabilities.
Promotion of gender equality and equity – Swapo promises in the next five years to improve maternity leave benefits and create child-friendly working environments. It also pledges to enforce laws prohibiting gender-based violence.
The document has a section devoted to how the party will monitor, evaluate and implement the 2009 party election manifesto, but it does not provide details on how it would measure progress. The Swapo manifesto avoids making firm pledges and setting measurable targets on job creation, land reform and black economic empowerment and affirmative action. It does not dedicate sections in the manifesto that comprehensively state what strategies and measures Swapo will put in place to deal with these issues.
The lack of targets and measurable data in the manifesto makes it difficult to gauge what the taxpayer will pay to finance these plans if implemented. There is no reference to budgetary targets such as debt and deficit levels.
On the whole the manifesto is a cautiously-worded document, which at times gives the impression that the ruling party is avoiding making clear commitments and promises. There is no mention of previous controversial commitments like changing the Constitution to broaden the composition of the Judicial Service Commission (in the 2004 manifesto). Some sections are little more than vague feel-good statements such as the commitment to “build a caring society where there is growth with equity and where citizens have access to a decent quality of life.”
Some topics that could become major issues in the next five years are not mentioned – such as anti-corruption strategies; uranium exploitation; carbon trading; and the development of nuclear energy in Namibia.
The Swapo manifesto comes in handbook size and has an attractive layout and design featuring pictures of Swapo and national events; and the back cover provides the electorate with the address of the party website.
Who is the party’s leader?
The party has been led by (current Head of State) Hifikepunye Pohamba since 2007. He will be the party’s presidential candidate.

Does the party have a website?
Yes – http://www.swapoparty.org

More about the party
The Swapo Party of Namibia was formed in 1960 as the South West Africa People’s Organisation. It waged an armed struggle for Namibia’s independence from 1966 to 1989. Swapo has been the ruling party of Namibia since winning the United Nations-supervised transitional elections in 1989. In 1994 the party won a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly. The party has increased its share of the vote at subsequent elections in 1999 and 2004. Swapo currently has 55 seats in the National Assembly.

Standout policies
• Urgently revise land policies to ensure equitable land ownership.
• Prioritise black economic empowerment
• Implement a community courts system
• Improve state-owned enterprise service delivery
• Review the Export Processing Zone regime