NATIONAL Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) secretary general Joseph Uapingene is set to appear before a party committee after joining the government’s genocide negotiations committee without party approval.
Uapingene’s appointment to the joint declaration committee falls under the Ovaherero Traditional Authority faction led by chief paramount Hoze Riruako.
Nudo has distanced itself from Uapingene’s appointment, insisting it never nominated him or any other party member to serve on the committee.
Party president Peter Kazongominja on Sunday told The Namibian the matter has been referred to his office, where a committee is being constituted to engage Uapingene before the party adopts an official position.
“From the party side, we understand he has joined the joint declaration committee, but he was not appointed by the party. He is there because of a certain traditional authority he is part of. Currently, the party has an issue with that,” Kazongominja said.
He said Uapingene will ultimately have to decide whether to remain Nudo’s secretary general or continue serving on the genocide committee under the traditional authority.
On the party’s position regarding the joint declaration, Kazongominja said Nudo maintains that the German government must explicitly acknowledge the genocide and that any negotiations should take place between the affected descendants of genocide victims and the two governments.
He added that the party continues to demand just reparations for the affected communities.
“We believe he needs to delink himself from the committee because the party did not appoint him,” Kazongominja said.
Responding to the party’s stance, Uapingene says he sees nothing wrong with his appointment, arguing that one of Nudo’s long-standing demands has been for affected communities to participate directly in the negotiations.
“I do not know why the party is trying to play politics with this matter. We all wanted to sit at the table and negotiate with the Germans. Now it’s a problem. This is the same problem when the Ovaherero Traditional Authority was fighting for ancestral land from outside instead of from within,” he says.
Uapingene says his participation offers a better opportunity to push for just reparations for all affected descendants.
He also questions why Nudo did not join the Landless People’s Movement in challenging the joint declaration in court, despite the party having initiated the parliamentary motion on the issue.
CONGRESS DELAYED
Kazongominja said Nudo has agreed to postpone setting a firm date on the party’s elective congress to allow full compliance with a 2025 High Court settlement that resolved the party’s leadership dispute.
The settlement recognised the current leadership until a legitimate congress is held, required dissenting members to renounce rival party affiliations, and called for compliance checks before any elective gathering.
Kazongominja said holding a congress now could exclude some members who are still complying with the court order.
“We have agreed not to set a date now, but to hold it between early July and the end of October 2027. We want to finalise everything, bring all parties together and reconcile before going to congress,” he said.
He said the delay will allow all aggrieved members to resolve outstanding issues and ensure the party enters congress united.
