Swapo cares for its youth - Hage 0 President Hage Geingob has told young members in Swapo not to be afraid to speak their minds as long as they remain respectful. Opening the Swapo policy conference on Monday, the president said in his days, the youth were not afraid of their elders, but were guided by them.
“The Swapo Party Youth League has always been an embryo through which the young political revolutionaries are groomed. This is where the young people''s political teeth are sharpened,” he said.
Geingob added that he was encouraged by the constant rejuvenation of Swapo through its youth structures and that it gives him confidence that the party is on the move.
“At party level, the party has always reinvented itself by promoting young people. Swapo has always depended on the youth, be it at political or at military level. Some of us joined Swapo when we were 20 years old before moving on to firmer positions in our political development,” he said.
According to him, the party has always reinvented itself by promoting young people and this practice has been continued by the government leadership after independence.
To illustrate this, he singled out youthful deputy ministers such as Peya Mushelenga, Juliet Kavetuna, Bernadus Swartbooi, Natangwe Ithete, Kornelia Shilunga, Lucia Iipumbu and Christine //Hoebes.
“Some have been promoted to full ministerial positions for example; Pohamba Shifeta, Albert Kawana, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah and Utoni Nujoma. They were once all deputy ministers and moved on to become ministers. Comrade Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila was a director-general at the National Planning Commission who later became minister of finance and is now prime minister,” he added.
JEMIMA BEUKES