WINDHOEK Swapo councillors are set to meet the ruling party’;s secretary general, Sophia Shaningwa, today to discuss the power struggle at the country’;s biggest municipality.
The tension among Windhoek councillors reached new heights last week after Swapo councillors pushed for the suspension of the city’;s chief executive, Robert Kahimise.
understands that the city council is divided into two groups, predominantly along tribal lines, with one group supporting Kahimise and the other backing suspended City Police chief Abraham Kanime.
Kahimise’;s supporters include Windhoek mayor Muesee Kazapua and the city’;s legal adviser Ben Ngairorue, who is supported by Swapo regional coordinator Elliot Mbako.
Kanime’;s group consist of several Swapo councillors, including Moses Shiikwa.
Shaningwa was unreachable for comment yesterday, but three officials familiar with the matter confirmed the meeting.
Kahimise suspended Kanime earlier this year after the City Police chief used N$80 000 from the municipality to sue the council for not supporting his department.
Kanime is still on suspension, but his group, fronted by Shiikwa, is fighting for his return.
Kanime’;s camp has three key concerns, including the lack of consistence from Kahimise, and his use of municipal funds of close to N$170 000 to pay for his studies abroad.
Kanime’;s supporters are also worried that Kahimise is protecting Ngairorue, a city official accused of corruption after he tampered with municipal records to stop the auctioning of a pensioner’;s house which had accumulated municipal debts.
The city paid N$1 million in legal fees to defend Ngairorue in a case that is still pending at the courts.
Documents obtained by also show that Kahimise’;s key supporters, Kazapua and Swapo regional leader Mbako, tried to influence prosecutor general Martha Imalwa to stop the corruption case against Ngairorue.
The mayor wrote to the office of the prosecutor general in 2016, claiming he had instructed Ngairorue to bypass municipal rules, and the legal officer should therefore not be prosecuted.
Kazapua effectively implicated himself in an issue that is not part of the court case.
“It came to the attention of my office that the Office of the Prosecutor General has decided to institute criminal proceedings against our staff member Mr Benedictus Ngairorue,” the mayor wrote, adding that while he was aware of the relevant laws applicable to the auctioning of houses over municipal debts, he intervened in the impending sale of the house, and asked Ngairorue to reverse the transaction.
“I learned that there was an investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Commission for the alleged conduct of Ngairorue in his attempt to execute my order,” the mayor wrote.
He added that the legal adviser had “no intention of committing an offence as he acted on a directive to assist a pensioner”.
The prosecutor general responded to the mayor in the same month, telling him that he should approach the investigating officer in the matter as her office has no mandate to investigate crimes.
Kazapua confirmed to this week that he wrote to the prosecutor general, but requested that questions be sent to him via email.
The anti-Kahimise clique could use this letter by Kazapua as evidence that the mayor was found offside in this corruption case.
Swapo coordinator Mbako also tried to influence the prosecutor general.
He wrote to Imalwa in June 2017, asking her to reconsider her decision to prosecute Ngairorue.
“The Swapo regional office in Khomas is in support with the position taken by his worship mayor Muesee Kazapua on this matter. His worship as an elected community leader was duty-bound to have intervened in this matter in the interest of the public,” Mbako wrote.
Mbako confirmed writing the letter, but declined to comment further, saying the matter is far more complicated.
reported last week that a group of councillors want to suspend Kahimise for three months for paying for his studies abroad from council funds without following procedures.
Kahimise is now being questioned over a close to N$170 000 study loan paid towards his studies, allegedly without following procedures to get approval.
The chief executive applied for the financial assistance in February this year, and was granted a 50% refundable interest-free study loan and 50% special leave in terms of the council’;s training and development policy.
He declined to answer detailed questions, only saying that his study loan is currently a high-level “topic of discussion” with the city’;s management committee.
Some people familiar with this matter said the pressure against Kahimise could be part of a plan to oust Kazapua’;s group.
