Nafwu factions create chaos

Clemans Miyanicwe

CHAOTIC SITUATION ... Some members of the Namibia Farm Workers Union (Nafwu) held a demonstration yesterday, during which a petition was given over to the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW). Right to left: Munee Hengari, Mariana Jonas and Festus Kamati holding posters at the demonstration.

The group that elected the new leadership have themselves been suspended a couple of months ago after they were accused of committing various criminal offenses within the union, which included the president and the vice president.

The latest elections took place just one day after an emergency central committee meeting was held last Friday where some resolutions were passed, including expulsions of some members who suspended Nafwu president Ronel De Jongh and vice president Asser Hendricks.

Infighting at Nafwu began earlier this year after former general secretary Alfred Angula was accused of causing financial irregularities during his tenure and more fuel was added when some employees were suspended this year.

Angula now heads the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) - which is an umbrella union of Nafwu - as acting secretary general.

Rocco Nguvauva who alleges to be acting general secretary of Nafwu at present, claims that those members who were suspended in March (including himself) were reinstated by the National Executive Committee and are legally part of Nafwu again. He added that during the past weekend Cornelius Ntelamo was elected as acting president and Paulus Hausiku as acting vice president.

According to Nguvauva the past weekend’s central executive committee supported the suspension of their president De Jongh and vice president Hendricks from their positions and will institute a disciplinary hearing against the pair.

“They (de Jongh and Hendricks) should remain on suspension pending the outcome of the disciplinary hearing,” Nguvauva said.

He claimed that the pair were invited to defend their suspensions but did not attend nor gave any reason for their absence.

However, De Jongh and others had another emergency central executive meeting on Friday after which they issued a statement saying that deputy treasurer Christa Kavara, deputy national secretary Elaine Peters, treasurer Frans Ngoma and national secretary Frans Kamati have been causing unrest in the union by calling unauthorised meetings.

De Jongh announced that the members have been expelled from the union with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, Eugen Katubezi has been appointed as acting general secretary by that group while Willem Skrywer will take over as the treasurer.

Sylvestor Gawaseb, Barakias Namwandi, Rosaline Gorases and Alfred Angula were also accorded associate membership of Nafwu.

De Jongh said that “the union will take legal action against the three dismissed former employees, which are Rocco Nguvauva, Kativa Moses and Gweneth Phillips”.

“As the president of Nafwu, I would like to inform the public that any communication or information from Nguvauva, Kativa, Phillips, Kavara, Ngoma, Peters and Kamati does not represent the views of Nafwu and shall be deemed illegal as they are no longer with Nafwu,” De Jongh said.

Nguvauva claimed that the central executive committee members who attended last weekend’s disputed meeting consisted of shop stewards from all parts of the country “unlike the one (initial union members’ group) that consists of only one region”.

“Nafwu’s constitution is very clear: the CEC meeting should consist of shop stewards from different companies and farms in all parts of the country who are contributing members,” Nguvauva claimed. Nguvauva’s faction also gave over a petition ‘against Alfred Angula’ to Job Muniaro, acting deputy secretary general of NUNW yesterday who promised to pass it on to relevant people.