Swapo set to block coalition councils Battle lines drawn over council control

SWAPO has vowed not to co-operate with opposition parties in towns where the opposition joined forces to take over the running of their local authorities from the ruling party.

The ruling party’s move could spell serious trouble for some towns or villages where the opposition might not have enough councillors to constitute a management committee. “The opposition has ganged together in an un-holy alliance to frustrate Swapo’s majority… we are not going to co-operate with a conspiracy against us,” said an angry Swapo Secretary General Ngarikutuke Tjiriange.On Friday, The Namibian reported on how the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected councillors of Usakos was disrupted after the ruling party’s candidates refused to take part in the proceedings.The three Swapo members apparently took the prescribed oath but refused to nominate any of their candidates onto the town’s Management Committee, causing the meeting to end prematurely.But Tjiriange told The Namibian that the Swapo councillors were merely carrying out instructions from his office not to accept any positions “… in all places where we won and the opposition employed dirty tricks to out-manoeuvre us”.”Swapo will only co-operate in places where the opposition won fairly, if Swapo has been defeated democratically in any town there is no need to cry,” the party’s chief administrator said.At Usakos, the Congress of Democrats (CoD) and United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition’s four councillors took the positions of Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the first two management committee seats.The third member of the management committee had to come from the Swapo councillors who refused to take it, throwing the whole process into disarray.According to the Local Authority Act, the management committee has to consist of at least three ordinary members, as the mayor and deputy mayor are only ex-officio members.Deputy Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing Gerhard Tötemeyer said the ruling party’s decision could have serious consequences because ” …as long as there is no third member of the management committee, it [the committee] can not operate”.Tötemeyer stated that the law was silent as to whether sworn councillors could refuse to accept positions, and suggested that it all depended on the parties involved to reach an amicable solution.”This is a matter in the hands of the political party.We have to look at the legal consequences if the deadlock is not broken,” he said.The CoD, the DTA and the UDF forged a cross-party co-operation alliance immediately after the local authority elections to take over the running of 12 towns.As a result the opposition parties are poised to take control of Karibib, Usakos, Uis, Gochas, Gibeon, Kalkrand, Aroab, Bethanie, Kamanjab, Khorixas, Opuwo and Outjo.The move came as serious shock to the ruling party, which has, in the past, controlled Karibib, Gochas, Gibeon, Bethanie and Outjo and in recent polls made inroads at Usakos, Kalkrand, Kamanjab and Opuwo.An irked Tjiriange said: “If they (opposition parties) were honest, genuine and democratic, they could have forged their alliance before the election and we could face them as such.””Now that we have won, they are finding ways to undermine us.””The opposition has ganged together in an un-holy alliance to frustrate Swapo’s majority… we are not going to co-operate with a conspiracy against us,” said an angry Swapo Secretary General Ngarikutuke Tjiriange.On Friday, The Namibian reported on how the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected councillors of Usakos was disrupted after the ruling party’s candidates refused to take part in the proceedings.The three Swapo members apparently took the prescribed oath but refused to nominate any of their candidates onto the town’s Management Committee, causing the meeting to end prematurely.But Tjiriange told The Namibian that the Swapo councillors were merely carrying out instructions from his office not to accept any positions “… in all places where we won and the opposition employed dirty tricks to out-manoeuvre us”.”Swapo will only co-operate in places where the opposition won fairly, if Swapo has been defeated democratically in any town there is no need to cry,” the party’s chief administrator said.At Usakos, the Congress of Democrats (CoD) and United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition’s four councillors took the positions of Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the first two management committee seats.The third member of the management committee had to come from the Swapo councillors who refused to take it, throwing the whole process into disarray.According to the Local Authority Act, the management committee has to consist of at least three ordinary members, as the mayor and deputy mayor are only ex-officio members.Deputy Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing Gerhard Tötemeyer said the ruling party’s decision could have serious consequences because ” …as long as there is no third member of the management committee, it [the committee] can not operate”.Tötemeyer stated that the law was silent as to whether sworn councillors could refuse to accept positions, and suggested that it all depended on the parties involved to reach an amicable solution.”This is a matter in the hands of the political party.We have to look at the legal consequences if the deadlock is not broken,” he said.The CoD, the DTA and the UDF forged a cross-party co-operation alliance immediately after the local authority elections to take over the running of 12 towns.As a result the opposition parties are poised to take control of Karibib, Usakos, Uis, Gochas, Gibeon, Kalkrand, Aroab, Bethanie, Kamanjab, Khorixas, Opuwo and Outjo.The move came as serious shock to the ruling party, which has, in the past, controlled Karibib, Gochas, Gibeon, Bethanie and Outjo and in recent polls made inroads at Usakos, Kalkrand, Kamanjab and Opuwo.An irked Tjiriange said: “If they (opposition parties) were honest, genuine and democratic, they could have forged their alliance before the election and we could face them as such.””Now that we have won, they are finding ways to undermine us.”