Tujoromajo Kasuto
Former South West Africa National Union (Swanu) President, Usutuaije Maamberua, wants the ongoing chaos wrapped up.
“I just hope that it will be solved amicably as soon as possible, I am not there to judge anything as I am a retired politician, thus my only hope is that whatever may go astray, should be resolved amicably,” he tells Windhoek Observer. However, the party’s Secretary General, Evilastus Kaaronda, says they are now busy consulting lawyers to take the next legal step. “We had a meeting with our lawyers yesterday, and they are working [on] the papers to take the next step to go to court, as it takes a bit of time to do legal paper work.”
Extra Ordinary Congress Committee Chairperson, Rihupisa Kandando, says the letter from the lawyers that the party’s Politburo (PB) served was “nothing and should be thrown in the dustbin as it is not a court verdict.”
On this Kaaronda says that “we will definitely take him one as he says anything he wants to”. Until the purported Extra Ordinary Congress undisputed party President, Tangeni Iijambo, shares that five of the new executives of the “new leadership” are members of the PB, which he says that already speaks for itself, as how one can be with people they step you in the back.
The purported Extra Ordinary Congress elected a new leadership over the weekend, according to media reports, with Charles Katjivirue the supposed new party leader said to be replacing the would-be ousted President and Parliamentarian, Iijambo, in the National Assembly. Alpha Kangueehi will be spearheading Political Affairs and Benjamin Limbo on Administrative Affairs with Sam Tjikuzu the Secretary General to have replaced Kaaronda ala the has been Extra Ordinary Congress.
The said Extra Ordinary Congress committee has shrugged off threats by the would-have-been ousted PB and hosted the “unlawful” congress. Iijambo earlier in the week stated that the actions of Kandando and company promote tribal discriminations and segmentation within the party saying it is gross insubordination. “The Party’s constitution is very clear, to work congruently and criticise the leadership and iron out issues instead of forming unprocedural congresses”, he states.
Kaaronda says the said Extra Ordinary Congress was not a Swanu event as purported and did not come from the Party’s leadership, Thus, he adds, the “all branches meeting” was then and still remains unconstitutional and illegal, therefore its decisions do not have any force or consequence in law.
The PB was adamant that those who attended the meeting in Epukiro did so as individuals and not as properly delegated representatives of branches they claim to have come from.
Kaaronda further states all congresses of the Party, irrespective if either Ordinary or Extra Ordinary, can only be convened by the Central Committee (CC), either on its own volition or on demand of at least one third of the Party’s regions.
Kandando last week in an interview said the party has been in limbo since a motion of no confidence in the PB and the CC at the end of May at a meeting of some of branches in the Epukiro Constituency in the Omaheke Region. He claimed that half of the current members of the PB are appointees of Iijambo, without the approval, gratification and confirmation of the CC, while he does not have the final authority to appoint as he only has the right to nominate people and preliminary appointments.
