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Friday, February 17, 2006 - Web posted at 6:41:52 GMT Disunity within Swapo ranks spreads * CHRISTOF MALETSKYA SECTION of the Swapo Party at Gobabis is outraged after their regional leaders used the same underhand method employed by their counterparts at Okahandja and Otjiwarongo to elect new section and branch leaders. |
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The elections at Gobabis went one step further, however. A member of the opposition National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) now ranks among the leadership of the party at the eastern town. The unhappy Swapo members claim that a meeting was conducted in the garage of Epukiro Regional Councillor Brave Tjizera. In addition, people who do not meet the party criteria or five-year membership to qualify for a leadership position have been named as section and branch leaders. Swapo members have written to the party Secretary General Ngarikutuke Tjiriange calling for his intervention before District Executive elections scheduled for tomorrow. In the letter to Tjiriange, the party's District Co-ordinator, Platini Katjaoha, is accused of favouritism. The unhappy Swapo members claim Katjaoha invited only people he favours to meetings where section and branch leaders were elected. This resulted in the election of a Nudo member at the Rakutuka Section as a delegate to the district conference, where a new co-ordinator will be elected. The Namibian is in possession of details of the Nudo member, who claimed she was duped by Katjaoha into attending the party meeting as she was informed that it was a meeting for Rakutuka residents. A similar meeting was held in the Kahimemua section. Katjaoha is also the Mayor of Gobabis. He has reportedly denied the allegations and is claiming that it was a campaign strategy by people allegedly gunning for his district co-ordinator position. A spokesperson for the dissatisfied group told The Namibian that Katjaoha even prevented them from attending a meeting with Swapo leaders assigned to the region, led by Swapo MP Hage Geingob. They were allegedly not informed of the visit and as a result were not represented at the meeting to air their concerns. Swapo Secretary General Ngarikutuke Tjiriange could not be reached to comment. The allegations came barely a week after a similar incident was alleged at Okahandja. There, some of the district executive members claimed that they were not consulted about the holding of elections at section and branch level and called on the politburo to nullify the disputed elections held at the town. They also approached Tjiriange's office, but had not received a reply by yesterday. Although the party's regional co-ordinator for Otjozondjupa, Otto Ipinge, refused to give comment to The Namibian, he was quoted in the party's mouthpiece, Namibia Today, as denying that anything non-procedural had taken place at Okahandja. In the meantime, another group has contacted The Namibian from Otjiwarongo to claim that they have new section and branch leaders, thanks to elections that were held without the knowledge of many members. "They had meetings at night, attended by specific invited people. The meetings were held at the Swapo office and homes of certain individuals. We hope that the politburo will nullify the elections," said one party member from Otjiwarongo. All said that the elections were in preparation for the party's congress next year but said they were done in such a way to promote division. Last week, the district mobiliser at Okahandja, Maleachi Ilonga, said "Ipinge and cohorts" were causing division at the town by siding with concerned groups not recognised by the party. "They claim to be prophets of unity but are architects of disunity. They cause more chaos, more confusion," Ilonga said. In March last year, Swapo admitted for the first time that there was division in the party and apologised to those hurt in the campaign for the party's presidential nomination race. At the same time Tjiriange announced that they had set up a committee "to put in place mechanisms for conflict resolution within the party". Last year the party's Central Committee approved a Politburo recommendation that a committee be set up to critically review and consider issues related to party discipline. The Politburo recommended that Tjiriange, former Speaker of the National Assembly Mosé Tjitendero and National Planning Director General Agriculture Minister Helmut Angula serve on the special committee. |
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