 |
|---|
TheSouth West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO/ˈswɑːpoʊ/;Afrikaans:Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO;German:Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as theSWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former independence movement inNamibia (formerlySouth West Africa). Founded in 1960, it has been the governing party in Namibia since the country achieved independence in 1990. The party continues to be dominated in number and influence by theOvambo ethnic group.
SWAPO held a two-thirds majority inparliament from 1994 to 2019. In thegeneral election held in November 2019, the party won 65.5% of the popular vote and 63 out of the 104 seats in theNational Assembly. It also holds 28 out of the 42 seats in theNational Council. From November 2017 until his death in February 2024,Namibian PresidentHage Geingob remained the president of SWAPO after being elected to the position at the party's electoral congress.[14]
German South West Africa was established in 1884. After World War I, theLeague of Nations gave South West Africa, formerly aGerman colony, to the United Kingdom as amandate under the administration ofSouth Africa.[15] When theNational Party won the1948 election in South Africa and subsequently introducedapartheid legislation,[16] these laws were also applied to South West Africa which was considered thede facto fifthprovince of South Africa.[17]
SWAPO was founded on 19 April 1960 as the successor of theOvamboland People's Organization. Leaders renamed the party to show that it represented all Namibians. But, the organisation had its base among theOvambo people of northern Namibia, who constituted nearly half the total population.[18]
During 1962, SWAPO had emerged as the dominant nationalist organisation for the Namibian people. It co-opted other groups such as theSouth West Africa National Union (SWANU), and later in 1976 theNamibia African People's Democratic Organisation.[19] SWAPO usedguerrilla tactics to fight theSouth African Defence Force. On 26 August 1966, the first major clash of the conflict took place, when a unit of theSouth African Police, supported by theSouth African Air Force, exchanged fire with SWAPO forces. This date is generally regarded as the start of what became known in South Africa as theBorder War.[citation needed]
One important factor in the fight for independence was the1971-72 Namibian contract workers strike, which fought for the elimination of the contract labour system and independence from South Africa. An underlying goal was the promotion of independence under SWAPO leadership.[20][21]
In 1973, theUnited Nations General Assembly recognised SWAPO as the 'sole legitimate representative' of Namibia's people.[22] The Norwegian government began giving aid directly to SWAPO in 1974.[23]
The country ofAngola gained its independence on 11 November 1975 following itswar for independence. The leftistPopular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), supported byCuba and theSoviet Union, came to power. In March 1976, the MPLA offered SWAPO bases in Angola for launching attacks against the South African military.[citation needed]
When Namibia gained its independence in 1990, SWAPO became the dominant political party. Though the organisation rejected the termSouth West Africa and preferred to useNamibia, the organisation's original name—derived from the territory's old name—was too deeply rooted in the independence movement to be changed. However, the original full name is no longer used; only the acronym remains.[18] SWAPO, and with it much of Namibia's government and administration, continues to be dominated by theOvambo ethnic group, despite "considerable efforts to counter [that] perception".[24]
SWAPO presidentSam Nujoma was declared Namibia's firstPresident after SWAPO won theinaugural election in 1989. A decade later, Nujoma had the constitution changed so he could run for a third term in 1999, as it limits the presidency to two terms.[citation needed]
In 2004, the SWAPO presidential candidate wasHifikepunye Pohamba, described as Nujoma's hand-picked successor.[25][26] In 2014, the SWAPO presidential candidate wasHage Geingob, who was the vice-president of SWAPO. In 2019presidential election, president Geingob won his second five-year term as Namibian president.[27]
SWAPO was founded with the aim of attaining theindependence of Namibia and therefore is part of theAfrican nationalist movement. Pre-independence it had asocialist,[5]Marxist–Leninist[10] ideology, which was not immediately abandoned when independence was achieved in 1990 and SWAPO became the ruling party.[28] Officially, however, it adopted asocial democratic ideology, until the electoral congress in 2017 approved the official change tosocialism with a "Namibian character",[4] although some Namibians have labelled the change as lacking a "grass-roots" nature.[29]
Various commentators have characterised the politics of SWAPO in different ways.Gerhard Tötemeyer, himself a party member, considered its post-independence politicsneoliberal andsocial democratic.[5]Henny Seibeb, an opposition politician from theLandless People's Movement, describes the current party ideology asliberal nationalism with traces of "dogmatism,authoritarianism, andstatism".[30]
The party president is the top position of SWAPO; in 2012 this was held by Namibia's former president Pohamba. The vice-president was Namibia's former presidentHage Geingob, who was elected to that position in 2007 and reconfirmed at the SWAPO congress in December 2012, until his death on 4 February 2024. The third highest position in SWAPO is the secretary-general, a position held in December 2012 byNangolo Mbumba. Number four is the deputy secretary-general,Omaheke governorLaura McLeod-Katjirua.[31]
Like many socialist and communist parties, SWAPO is governed by apolitburo and acentral committee. The party leadership is advised by ayouth league, a women's council, and an elders' council.[citation needed]
The politburo of SWAPO is a body that currently[update] consists of 29 members for the period 2022–2027 (including party president, former party president, secretary general, deputy secretary general, members appointed by the party president and members elected by the SWAPO central committee for the period).[32]
SWAPO's Central Committee consists of:
The current[update] 100 Central Committee members are:[33]
Although SWAPO receives finances from government for its operations, the party also holds extensive business interests. Through Kalahari Holdings, it entered intojoint ventures with several companies, most prominently the Namibian branch ofMultiChoice, a private satellite TV provider, of which it owns 51%. Kalahari Holdings has further joint ventures with Radio Energy,Africa Online, and businesses in the tourism, farming, security services and health insurance sectors. It owns Namib Contract Haulage, Namprint, Kudu Investments and the Ndilimani Cultural Troupe.[34][35]
Namibia Today was the mouthpiece of the SWAPO,[36] and Asser Ntinda was its editor. The paper does not appear to have been active since 7 April 2011[37] and closed down in 2015.[38]
Various groups have claimed that SWAPO committed serious human rights abuses against suspected spies during the independence struggle. Since the early 21st century, they have pressed the government more strongly on this issue.Breaking the Wall of Silence (BWS) is one of the groups founded by people who were detained by SWAPO during the war and abused during interrogations.[39][40] In 2004, BWS alleged that "In exile, hundreds of SWAPO dependants and members were detained, tortured and killed without trial."[41] SWAPO denies serious infractions and claims anything that did happen was in the name of liberation. Because of a series of successful South African raids, the SWAPO leadership believed that spies existed in the movement. Hundreds of SWAPO cadres were imprisoned, tortured and interrogated.[42]
SWAPO is a full member ofSocialist International.[43] It was a member of theNon-Aligned Movement before the independence of Namibia in 1990.[44]
| Election | Party candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Sam Nujoma | 370,452 | 76.34% | Elected Y |
| 1999 | 414,096 | 76.82% | ElectedY | |
| 2004 | Hifikepunye Pohamba | 625,605 | 76.45% | ElectedY |
| 2009 | 611,241 | 75.25% | ElectedY | |
| 2014 | Hage Geingob | 772,528 | 86.73% | ElectedY |
| 2019 | 464,703 | 56.3% | ElectedY | |
| 2024 | Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah | 683,560 | 58.07% | ElectedY |
| Election | Party leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Sam Nujoma | 384,567 | 57.33% | 41 / 72 | New |  1st | Majority government |
| 1994 | 370,452 | 76.34% | 53 / 72 | 12 |  1st | Supermajority government | |
| 1999 | 414,096 | 76.82% | 55 / 78 | 2 | 1st | Supermajority government | |
| 2004 | 625,605 | 76.44% | 55 / 78 | 0 | 1st | Supermajority government | |
| 2009 | Hifikepunye Pohamba | 611,241 | 75.25% | 54 / 72 |  1 | 1st | Supermajority government |
| 2014 | 785,671 | 80.01% | 77 / 96 | 23 | 1st | Supermajority government | |
| 2019 | Hage Geingob | 536,861 | 65.45% | 63 / 96 | 14 | 1st | Majority government |
| 2024 | Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah | 583,300 | 53.38% | 51 / 96 | 12 | 1st | Majority government |
| Election | Seats | +/– | Position | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 19 / 26 | New | 1st | Governing supermajority |
| 1998 | 21 / 26 | 2 | 1st | Governing supermajority |
| 2004 | 24 / 26 | 3 | 1st | Governing supermajority |
| 2010 | 24 / 26 | | 1st | Governing supermajority |
| 2015 | 40 / 42 | 16 | 1st | Governing supermajority |
| 2020 | 28 / 42 | 12 | 1st | Governing supermajority |
The OPO's reconstitution as SWAPO is triggered by national leaders such as Sam Nujoma, Mburumba Kerina, Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo, Jacob Kuhangua, Solomon Mifima, Paul Helmuth, Andreas Shipanga, Erasmus Erastus Mbumba, Emil Appolus, Maxton Joseph Mutongulume and Carlos Hamatu
Swapo was originally a communist party but, in common with many other far-left ruling parties in other parts of Africa, it has moved to the centre and now supports private ownership, enterprise and investment.
| Parliament |
|
|---|---|
| Unrepresented | |
| Local parties |
|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
.svg)
