THE Popular Democratic Movement Youth League’s (PDMYL) national elective congress, which started in Windhoek on Saturday, was called off after chaos ensued around the list of delegates attending the event.
The congress was expected to elect a new leadership for the party’s youth wing and to nominate delegates to represent the youth league at the PDM’s national congress in 2024.
About 120 delegates from all 14 regions of Namibia were to attend the congress.
PDMYL spokesperson Maximilliant Katjimune confirmed yesterday that delegates already travelled back to their respective regions.
He did not say why the congress could not be concluded, and did not indicate if it would be rescheduled for elections to take place.
For now, the current leadership will continue acting until new leadership is put in place, he said.
The PDM Youth League was split in two factions going into Saturday’s congress. One faction, led by outgoing youth league secretary Bensen Katjiriova, backs incumbent party leader McHenry Venaani to retain his position for a third term beyond 2024. The other, purportedly led by Inna Hengari, wants the youthful Vipua Muharukua to take over the party’s reins in 2024.
Earlier on Saturday, Venaani urged congress attendants to avoid fighting among each other and to unite to represent the Namibian youth.
“You must disagree without being disagreeable. You must raise the bar of leadership. We can’t be involved in fights and insults, we are not a party of insults,” he said.
Sources who attended the congress told The Namibian that shortly after Venaani’s opening statement, a dispute ensued over the legitimacy of some delegates’ attendance at the congress.
“Some people came to the congress but were not part of the list of delegates who were nominated during the restructuring processes at regional level. They were just added to the list by regional chairpersons after some people who were initially nominated decided they were not coming to the congress,” a source said.
The pro-Venaani faction refused to proceed with the congress attended by illegitimate delegates as “it is not in line with the constitution”, while the so-called illegitimate delegates, allegedly backed by the pro-Muharukua faction, refused to leave the conference hall, arguing that they were duly nominated by regional chairpersons to replace those nominated.
Saturday’s failed congress was the first to be held by the PDM’s youth league since the party’s rebranding from the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) to PDM.
Katjiriova has been at the helm of the PDM Youth League for about 10 years, after ascending to the helm in 2012, with Elvis Japuhua from the Kunene region elected as his deputy and Agatus Antanga as national chairperson.
During his tenure, the PDM’s youth league has been pronounced dead and dull by many commentators. He has, however, rejected these claims, telling The Namibian last month that during his administration, the PDM youth wing was instrumental in bringing young people into the ranks, including Venaani.
He added that under his watch, the party’s youth league played a pivotal role in various youth mobilisation activities, resulting in more young people voting for the party and increasing the PDM’s seats in the National Assembly from two to 16.
Katjiriova did not answer phone calls over the weekend.
