USAKOS - Swapo Party members in the Erongo Region last Saturday unanimously elected Phillipus Heita as the regional coordinator during the regional conference held at Usakos. Heita previously served as the district coordinator for Walvis Bay.  

Two prominent women of Omaruru – staunch Swapo Party members – also ascended the party’s regional hierarchy after they were elected above their male comrades.

Hilma Hangula, the former information and mobilisation officer for the Omaruru District, was voted the regional treasurer with 27 votes, nine clear of her closest rival, Renier Gomachab.  

Tuli Gephard, who was up against two male rivals for the portfolio of information and mobilisation officer, garnered 27 votes to prevail over her male rivals.

The elected members will now serve as the new regional leaders for the next five years.

Ten delegates from the region will attend the Swapo Party Congress to take place later this year.

The Omaheke, Otjozondjupa and Erongo regions were among the few regions with outstanding conferences, which needed to elect new leaders before the upcoming ruling party congress.

The Swapo Party Secretary General, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana earlier this month issued a directive that all regional conferences be concluded by July 21, failure of which could lead to exclusion from the party congress.

The elections highlighted the political infighting in the ruling party’s regional structures as the congress draws close.

However the Regional Executive Committee together with the national leadership assigned to the region managed to pacify the situation.

The party managed to wrest away the Daures Constituency, a former UDF stronghold since independence, from the opposition placing the entire Erongo Region under the wings of the ruling Swapo Party.

The vice-chairperson of the Swapo Party national leaders assigned to the Erongo Region, Loide Kasingo, who presided over the conference, urged members to work together and to address issues such as land and housing shortages in the region.

“We need to come up with ways and means to address such issues to the benefit of our future generations,” she said.