Victory!
Another sister liberation party, SWAPO, has clung to power in Namibia despite overwhelming signs that the people they once “liberated” might have other ideas.
Who deserves the credit?
None other than the master of the modern liberation playbook, President Ruka Chivende, and his ever-reliable ZANU PF machine.
Since ascending to the SADC chairmanship in August, President Chivende has unleashed an aggressive foreign policy that could best be described as “liberation solidarity meets electoral meddling.”
In short, if you’re a struggling liberation party anywhere in Southern Africa, you can count on Ruka to teach you the ropes or lend you the ballots.
The Namibian newspaper recently dared to expose what it called ZANU PF’s “shadow of influence” in the region.
But, like clockwork, state propaganda czar George Charamba swooped in to dismiss the report as neo-colonialist drivel.
Yes, the same Joji who once got publicly schooled by Dr. Stop It during ZANU PF’s 2017 soap opera coup drama.
Ah, Joj, always reliable, even if his comebacks aren’t.
With President Chivende at the helm, Zimbabwe’s ruling party is no longer content with destabilizing its own elections, now, it’s franchising the chaos across borders.
In Mozambique, the strategy reportedly involved a suspicious influx of ZANU PF voters.
Namibia however, got the VIP package, a carbon copy of ZANU PF’s “winning” formula from Zimbabwe’s 2023 general elections.
Take SWAPO presidential candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, for example.
A quick learner, she adopted the timeless ZANU PF tactic of voter suppression with surgical precision.
Ballot shortages in opposition strongholds?
Check hours long queues designed to test even the most patient voter, yes double check!
Enter Wicknell Chivhayo, one of President Chivende’s favorite “sons” and an expert in election logistics or should we say, election chaos.
Through his South African-registered company, Ren-Form CC, Chivhayo once again demonstrated his knack for “helping” elections run, or rather, stall.
Having orchestrated Zimbabwe’s infamous ballot-paper circus last year, Ren-Form CC brought its signature brand of inefficiency to Namibia.
The result, a deja vu moment for opposition leader Panduleni Itula, who described the fiasco as something never before seen in Namibian electoral history.
Itula has since threatened to reject the election outcome, but let’s be honest, what’s an election in the SADC region these days without a little controversy?
With Namibia now firmly in SWAPO’s grip, Ruka Chivende has delivered yet another triumph for liberation parties across the region.
Forget voter trust or democratic norms; this is about keeping the “revolution” alive by any means necessary.
So, what’s next on President Chivende’s SADC tour of influence, Angola, or Zambia?
Only time will tell, but one thing is certain, wherever there’s an election, Ruka and his bag of tricks won’t be far behind.
