NUNW divisions deepen

A CHAOTIC fourth congress of the National Union of Namibian Workers ended during the early hours of yesterday morning with no voting, new leaders and the affiliates of the umbrella body more divided than at any other stage in its history.

More than one delegate expressed the view that it would take years to heal the extreme harm inflicted on the unions by the bitter divisions in Swapo. Verbal abuse and fighting started as soon as President Hifikepunye Pohamba had left the hall after his opening speech.At one stage on Sunday, security forces had to be called in to maintain order as delegates remained divided on the contentious issue of whether suspended acting Secretary General Peter Naholo should be allowed to stand for re-election.PUSH AND SHOVE While the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) and the Mineworkers’ Union of Namibia (MUN) demanded clarity on the “real” reasons behind Naholo’s suspension, the Namibia Public Workers’ Union (Napwu) and the Namibia Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Nafau) refused to discuss the issue.Instead, Napwu and Nafau demanded that outgoing NUNW President Risto Kapenda be stripped of his position as chairperson of the congress.They proposed a vote of no confidence, which Kapenda refused to accept.Sources said Evilastus Kaaronda, who was later elected as NUNW Secretary General, grabbed the microphone from Kapenda, charging that he was out of order.”When a motion such as that is tabled, you excuse yourself immediately and somebody else must ask for a secondment and also call those who oppose the motion.He refused and just told congress that he won’t accept it,” said a source.Kaaronda confirmed that he grabbed the microphone from Kapenda but charged that it was because the outgoing NUNW President was out of order.Before a motion of no confidence was proposed by Napwu and Nafau, Kapenda attempted to call Naholo to the podium to address the congress.”He did it out of the blue and congress refused to accept it.As a chairperson, he was biased through and through,” claimed another delegate.Once the report of the Central Executive Committee to the congress was read, Napwu and Nafau refused to discuss the issue further but Kapenda introduced it.Kapenda’s removal from the chair also led to a walkout by Nantu President Ndapewa Nghipandulwa and Miriam Hamutenya and some leaders of MUN.”Their unhappiness was around the Naholo issue.They walked out but their delegates remained,” said Kaaronda.Police had to be called in to restore order as the factions became restless and verbal abuse was flung about as tempers rose.At the end, there were no elections, as the MUN withdrew all its nominations except the one for Kaaronda as SG, while Nantu, minus their leaders, just went with the flow.That meant that none of the nominated candidates was opposed.Alpheus Muheua was accepted as new NUNW President and will be deputised by Nafau’s David Namalenga as first vice president and Elias Manga of Nantu as second vice president.Kaaronda’s new deputy will be Erago Thaddeus Erago of Nantu while Connie Pandeni and Stella Louw kept their positions as National Treasurer and Deputy.Both Muheua and Namalenga were instrumental in Naholo’s expulsion and subsequent suspension after the High Court ordered his reinstatement.Some delegates were upset that internal issues had derailed labour concerns.”At the moment, I have nothing to report back home about where NUNW is taking us over the next five to 10 years.I will just give my people clippings of newspaper reports.Actually some have already after seeing NBC TV News on Saturday evening, and I told them fighting is all we had done,” one delegate said.Kaaronda differed with those observations.”Workers were very conscious of that and made sure we discussed their issues.Even the resolutions are around their issues,” he charged.Many delegates said they feared that divisions in Swapo had done extreme harm to the unions and that it would take years to heal.Divisions at the congress continued despite a call by President Pohamba that it should focus on workers’ issues.”NUNW needs to be solidly united and close its ranks in order to be able to continue championing the interests of the workers.It is imperative that the umbrella body has mature and tested leadership capable of differentiating between factors that are uniting them and at the same time divisive and extraneous issues,” he said in his opening address.”I have been reading the newspapers.If you start quarrelling, important work is left undone.You seem to be forgetting that united you stand, divided you fall,” he said as former President Sam Nujoma and the rest applauded him.Naholo’s axing has its roots in divisions within Swapo.It started after he allegedly dared to question the way some NUNW affiliates issued a statement backing Swapo President Sam Nujoma’s account of the events of April 1 1989.Naholo expressed concern to NUNW affiliates that the umbrella body was not consulted beforehand.Some of the affiliates called a media briefing a few days later and announced that a collective decision was taken to back Nujoma’s denials that he was to blame for the deaths of hundreds of Swapo fighters as the then commander-in-chief of the ruling party’s military wing.Naholo responded that the NUNW had never decided to issue such a statement, as claimed by those who released it behind his and Kapenda’s back.Muheua and the others then called a meeting and expelled Naholo.Verbal abuse and fighting started as soon as President Hifikepunye Pohamba had left the hall after his opening speech.At one stage on Sunday, security forces had to be called in to maintain order as delegates remained divided on the contentious issue of whether suspended acting Secretary General Peter Naholo should be allowed to stand for re-election.PUSH AND SHOVE While the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) and the Mineworkers’ Union of Namibia (MUN) demanded clarity on the “real” reasons behind Naholo’s suspension, the Namibia Public Workers’ Union (Napwu) and the Namibia Food and Allied Workers’ Union (Nafau) refused to discuss the issue.Instead, Napwu and Nafau demanded that outgoing NUNW President Risto Kapenda be stripped of his position as chairperson of the congress.They proposed a vote of no confidence, which Kapenda refused to accept.Sources said Evilastus Kaaronda, who was later elected as NUNW Secretary General, grabbed the microphone from Kapenda, charging that he was out of order.”When a motion such as that is tabled, you excuse yourself immediately and somebody else must ask for a secondment and also call those who oppose the motion.He refused and just told congress that he won’t accept it,” said a source. Kaaronda confirmed that he grabbed the microphone from Kapenda but charged that it was because the outgoing NUNW President was out of order.Before a motion of no confidence was proposed by Napwu and Nafau, Kapenda attempted to call Naholo to the podium to address the congress.”He did it out of the blue and congress refused to accept it.As a chairperson, he was biased through and through,” claimed another delegate.Once the report of the Central Executive Committee to the congress was read, Napwu and Nafau refused to discuss the issue further but Kapenda introduced it.Kapenda’s removal from the chair also led to a walkout by Nantu President Ndapewa Nghipandulwa and Miriam Hamutenya and some leaders of MUN.”Their unhappiness was around the Naholo issue.They walked out but their delegates remained,” said Kaaronda.Police had to be called in to restore order as the factions became restless and verbal abuse was flung about as tempers rose.At the end, there were no elections, as the MUN withdrew all its nominations except the one for Kaaronda as SG, while Nantu, minus their leaders, just went with the flow.That meant that none of the nominated candidates was opposed.Alpheus Muheua was accepted as new NUNW President and will be deputised by Nafau’s David Namalenga as first vice president and Elias Manga of Nantu as second vice president.Kaaronda’s new deputy will be Erago Thaddeus Erago of Nantu while Connie Pandeni and Stella Louw kept their positions as National Treasurer and Deputy.Both Muheua and Namalenga were instrumental in Naholo’s expulsion and subsequent suspension after the High Court ordered his reinstatement.Some delegates were upset that internal issues had derailed labour concerns.”At the moment, I have nothing to report back home about where NUNW is taking us over the next five to 10 years.I will just give my people clippings of newspaper reports.Actually some have already after seeing NBC TV News on Saturday evening, and I told them fighting is all we had done,” one delegate said.Kaaronda differed with those observations.”Workers were very conscious of that and made sure we discussed their issues.Even the resolutions are around their issues,” he charged.Many delegates said they feared that divisions in Swapo had done extreme harm to the unions and that it would take years to heal.Divisions at the congress continued despite a call by President Pohamba that it should focus on workers’ issues.”NUNW needs to be solidly united and close its ranks in order to be able to continue championing the interests of the workers.It is imperative that the umbrella body has mature and tested leadership capable of differentiating between factors that are uniting them and at the same time divisive and extraneous issues,” he said in his opening address.”I have been reading the newspapers.If you start quarrelling, important work is left undone.You seem to be forgetting that united you stand, divided you fall,” he said as former President Sam Nujoma and the rest applauded him.Naholo’s axing has its roots in divisions within Swapo.It started after he allegedly dared to question the way some NUNW affiliates issued a statement backing Swapo President Sam Nujoma’s account of the events of April 1 1989.Naholo expressed concern to NUNW affiliates that the umbrella body was not consulted beforehand.Some of the affiliates called a media briefing a few days later and announced that a collective decision was taken to back Nujoma’s denials that he was to blame for the deaths of hundreds of Swapo fighters as the then commander-in-chief of the ruling party’s military wing.Naholo responded that the NUNW had never decided to issue such a statement, as claimed by those who released it behind his and Kapenda’s back.Muheua and the others then called a meeting and expelled Naholo.