RP youth leaders break ranks

THE management of four of the five Windhoek branches of the Republican Party (RP) resigned yesterday, following several Executive Committee (EC) members who broke ranks with the party a month ago.

Leading the latest walkout was Ignatius Semba, the Acting Secretary General of the RP Youth League. He accused party President Henk Mudge of being ‘a dictator’ who ‘has no regard for loyal and faithful members unless they are willing to be his puppets’.’The management of the branches, as well as ordinary youth members, support me in my decision to resign and have indicated that they will resign with me from the RP today,’ Semba told a news conference.Flanking him were representatives of the RP’s Samora Machel branch, Khomas Rural branch and Katutura Central branch.Approached for comment yesterday afternoon, Mudge just laughed, saying he knew nothing about the new development.’I’m not the least bit concerned. They won’t dent the RP,’ Mudge told The Namibian.The resignations are part of an organised vendetta against either himself or the RP, on which he will comment when the time is right, Mudge said.The Semba split follows the resignations of Windhoek RP City Councillor Nico Smit, Keetmanshoop Town Councillor Pieter Visser, Aranos RP Chairman De Lange Kotze and former Hardap Regional Governor Pieter Boltman on August 23. Daan Holtzhausen resigned on the same day as EC Executive Chairman and RP Chairman, but has remained as an ordinary member.Leadership differences and allegations of gross mismanagement of party finances and administration on the part of Mudge were cited as reasons at the time.Similar allegations surfaced again yesterday.Semba accused the RP leader of being intolerant and abusing ‘hardworking party members’ and said that when they can’t live up to his ‘unrealistic expectations, he starts to vilify them’.According to Semba he was paid a ‘meagre N$2 500 per month’ during his six years of working for the RP.’I was expected to use my salary to travel all over the country to establish the youth wing and the various regional committees,’ he said.On top of this, he had to act as Secretary General of the party after Mudge stripped Carola Engelbrecht of the position ‘in a highly controversial and unconstitutional manner’. He also had to stand in for Mudge as RP President on occasions, such as the memorial service of the late Mosé Tjitendero, the first Speaker of Parliament, Semba said.jo-mare@namibian.com.na