Drama at City Council

A NIGHT of high drama at the monthly Windhoek City Council meeting in Wednesday saw all five opposition councillors walk out as internal Swapo Party issues brought proceedings to a premature halt.

It followed heated debate about the removal of four Swapo councillors by the ruling party last month – and their on-again, off-again reinstatement – after the party apparently discovered it had not followed the correct procedures.Only one of the four ‘reinstated’ councillors was present on Wednesday – former Mayor Bjorn von Finckenstein.Councillors Linea Shaetonhodi, Hileni Ilonga and current Mayor Matheus Shikongo excused themselves from Wednesday’s meeting.Deputy Mayor Agnes Kafula, who chaired the meeting, announced that the three were absent because they were reportedly out of town on business.The four were initially withdrawn by Swapo’s Khomas regional executive for ostensibly not toeing the party line on the reappointment of Windhoek CEO Niilo Taapopi.However, the Khomas branch allegedly failed to follow party procedures in booting the four and were advised by Swapo HQ to reinstate the four councillors. However, because of internal wrangling, Swapo’s Khomas branch dragged its feet on the issue and the four were only reinstated after a few weeks.After an argument about the correct procedures to be followed in reappointing the four Swapo councillors, Ilme Schneider (DTA), Herbert Schultz (CoD), Benestus Kandundu (Nudo), Nico Smit (RP) and Werner Claasen (UDF) all walked out of the proceedings.With only six of the 15 councillors left, there was no quorum and the meeting was adjourned.The opposition argued that, according to the Local Authorities Act, the Swapo councillors could not be reinstated without being sworn in again. Their vacant positions and reinstatements should be advertised in the Government Gazette too, they argued.Another bone of contention was the expiry of the current council’s term of office on May 14.According to the Act, no vacancies in a local council can be filled within three months of the expiry of a council, unless that date is extended by an act of Parliament.’It’s a matter of logic, a matter of procedure. My point is that if we go ahead with any items (on the agenda), we will have to engage a councillor who has been withdrawn. He must be sworn in by Swapo, otherwise I can’t engage this councillor,’ CoD councillor Werner Claasen said at the start of the meeting.CEO Taapopi counter-argued that the Swapo councillors’ positions would only have become vacant upon his advertising the vacancies in the Government Gazette. However, Swapo reinstated its councillors before this could be done, he said.At a press conference at the Parliament building yesterday, the opposition defended their boycott of the previous night’s meeting.’As one of the four withdrawn councillors attended the council meeting without legal authority, this council meeting was constituted in contravention of the Act. We requested an adjournment of the meeting until senior legal council had been consulted. However this was not granted and thus no option was left to us other than to withdraw from the meeting, which we regard as unconstitutional and illegal,’ Claasen told the media.The councillors supplied the media with two letters written by Schneider and Smit to CEO Taapopi on Monday, in which both asked why the four vacant positions had not been gazetted.Smit further requested a copy of the letter allegedly received by Taapopi from Swapo head office in which the four councillors’ withdrawal was revoked.Taapopi’s reply to both was that, because of Swapo’s withdrawal, the gazetting of these positions and their reinstatements did not need to be advertised.On Smit’s request for Swapo’s revoking of its withdrawal, Taapopi suggested he ask Swapo directly.’Unfortunately, councillor Smit did not mention any reason why the letter from the Swapo Party is needed, and since it is council’s policy to treat letters from its clients confidential, and as the requested document is not a public document, I would like to advise the honourable councillor to approach the Swapo Party head office directly or alternatively request a copy of the said letter from the office of the mayor.’Smit, both on Wednesday night and at yesterday’s media briefing, took exception to this reply, saying that as a councillor he was entitled to the information from the CEO’s office.The opposition councillors, after walking out on Wednesday, applied for the convening of a special council meeting to decide on the way forward, and in terms of council rules were expecting an answer within 72 hours, which transpire today.They have requested a senior legal council, after disagreeing with the legal opinion given by the City’s legal advisor, Johanna De Kock, who sided with Taapopi.denver@namibian.com.na