SPYL gets a congress blow

THE Swapo Party Youth Party League was dealt a blow last weekend when one of its members was removed from the NUNW list of congress delegates.

Shavuka Mbidhi was on the list going as the chairperson of the Mineworkers Union (MUN) Oranjemund branch.Mbidhi, who doubles as the youth league secretary there, confirmed to The Namibian yesterday that he was removed.He said there were two lists, both containing his name. However, it turned out neither of them was the final one.’Because I am from the youth league, I’m a target of theirs. There were also other attempts to stop delegates who prefer our candidate but they failed,’ he said.The youth league national executive committee has endorsed Jerry Ekandjo as the next party vice president.According to the acting secretary general of the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW), Alfred Angula, Mbidhi’s removal was decided at last weekend’s Central Executive Committee meeting which was held to finalise the names of delegates going to the watershed Swapo congress.’The final names were not decided by Angula but by the CEC who approved the final list,’ Angula added.Angula insisted that Mbidhi was not removed because of his preferred candidate, as the 15 delegates from the unions will be going as individuals to vote for their preferred candidates.’We will not align ourself to one candidate,’ he said.MUN vice president Mike Heita confirmed that Mbidhi was removed from the list of congress delegates because the decision to put him on the list did not pass through the correct procedures.He said the MUN national executive committee decided to remove Mbidhi from the list and suggested their preferred delegates.Heita said the union will be represented at the congress by the regional chairpersons Isak Netumo and Philip Kandenge.