Nafinu throws weight behind Kaaronda

By: TILENI MONGUDHI

THE Namibia Financial Institutions Union (Nafinu) yesterday threw its weight behind under-fire National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) secretary general Evilastus Kaaronda, and called on acting NUNW president David Namalenga not to stand for the presidency at the weekend’s NUNW congress.

Nafinu said it sees nothing wrong in Kaaronda that warrants his removal.
Nafinu general secretary Asnath Zamuee yesterday said Namalenga, who is the Human Resource Manager at the Road Contractor Company (RCC), was an employer  representative and not the workers.
“It is our opinion that he cannot be president of a workers federation,” Zamuee emphasised.
She said Nafinu, as an NUNW affiliate, will forcefully pursue the issue of limitations on who can, and cannot, stand for NUNW leadership positions, “especially its president” at the congress.
She added that people who are employed as human resource and industrial relations managers “cannot, and must never, be allowed to stand for any leadership position in the unions”.
“In fact, a president of a union, in terms of our [Nafinu] constitution, must not only be a member, but also a ‘shop steward’,” Zamuee added to her argument.
She said her union was looking forward to a lively debate at the congress on issues like the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF), Kuleni, and the Basic Income Grant.
Her comments came after The Namibian was reliably informed yesterday that the controversial issues did not feature on the congress agenda, after a protracted meeting on Tuesday, attended by NUNW affiliated unions’ general secretaries and the NUNW secretary-general.
Although the topics did not make it onto the agenda, delegates can request from the congress floor that they be discussed.
Zamuee added that Nafinu wants issues of corruption, self-enrichment and conflict of interest to be debated at the congress.
She added that it does not make sense for union leaders, elected to represent workers and safeguard the workers’ pension money, to enrich themselves at the expense of their members.
She said the Kuleni saga must be be put to rest at the congress, and called for President Hifikepunye Pohamba to appoint an independent commission of inquiry into the GIPF. Kuleni was a company established by GIPF trustees to do work for the GIPF.
“We want and expect congress to thoroughly debate this issue and demand that all the GIPF trustees and managers, including the CEO, be suspended and their assets be frozen, while further independent forensic investigations are carried out,” she said.
Nafinu is the forth industrial union to give its backing to Kaaronda, after New Era reported yesterday that the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN), the Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union (Manwu) and the Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (Natau) endorsed Kaaronda’s candidacy.
The four unions are expected to be represented by 260 delegates out of the 766 delegates expected to vote at the congress.
The Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu), whose general secretary is seen as the driving force behind the anti-Kaaronda campaign, will have the largest representation with about 261 delegates expected to attend on its behalf.
Unionists supporting Kaaronda have, however, assured that he was going to be the victor, since Napwu was divided with a portion of its members supporting Kaaronda.

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