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Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - Web posted at 8:25:07 GMT Tribal rift in Nantu widens CHRISTOF MALETSKYDEEP-ROOTED tribal divisions in the Namibia National Teachers' Union (Nantu) surfaced at the opening yesterday of the union's congress when its President Ndapewa Nghipandulwa claimed that several leaders were out to destroy the organisation. |
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Addressing the opening ceremony at Rundu, Nghipandulwa claimed some leaders had been advocating disunity, infighting and instability as part of their campaigns to take control of the teachers' union. She said some of the leaders had gone to regional conferences during the preparation for the national congress, and claimed that Nantu was about to disaffiliate from the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW). "It is even more dangerous when the campaign is tribalised. In this case, you are not being personal to the candidate but including the whole tribe. The result is that there will be a huge provoking reaction from the other tribes and bringing tribal division in the union," Nghipandulwa said. She said the current Nantu leaders were not elected on the basis of their ethnic group but on competency. She claimed that some of the leaders who now wanted to come back were guilty of mismanaging the union in the past. Now that the union was on sound footing, having improved its bank account from a mere N$93 in 2000 to around N$6 million in cash and assets, Nghipandulwa claimed, "greedy ones" wanted in. "We must be careful as members not to make mistakes, as it will cost us much," she said. Instead she suggested that the "culprits" be charged with misconduct. When Nghipandulwa was still the Secretary General of Nantu in 2000, a number of officials were accused of mismanagement but Nantu was unable to charge anyone. Tribal politics in Nantu are not anything new. During the sixth national congress at Keetmanshoop in 2000, several delegates walked out after voting for the four top positions within the organisation went along tribal lines. Nghipandulwa was elected as SG while her deputy was Miriam Hamutenya. Redemptus Kamari was elected as President and his deputy was Ausiku Ausiku. They were all from the Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshana and Oshikoto regions. Some delegates claimed that they were taking the union "home". Nghipandulwa was elected as President and Hamutenya as SG at the following congress. |
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