‘Team Swapo’ turns up heat on Shaningwa

• SONJA SMITHDISGRUNTLED Swapo members, who are unhappy with the processes and outcomes of the party’s elective congress last year, have turned up the heat on secretary general Sophia Shaningwa.

In a strongly worded letter, copied to President Hage Geingob, former President Sam Nujoma, former President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Swapo party vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, amongst others, Team Swapo members asked why there are still no steps taken on their election petition addressed to Shaningwa earlier this year.

On 12 February 2018, four Swapo members, namely Nambata Angula (an executive member of Swapo’s Windhoek East district), Mirjam Shituula, Selma Nambago and Seth Boois (suspended Kalkrand Village Council’s chief executive officer) demanded an independent audit into the outcome of the party’s 6th elective congress held in November last year.

“We disconcertingly note that despite your undertaking to entertain our election petition (in terms of the Swapo party constitution and rules), no steps were taken to invite us to a hearing to ventilate our grievances relating to the irregular and unconstitutional composition of the Swapo Party 6th congress, the irregular, unfair and unconstitutional electoral processes thereat, and consequently the irregular and unconstitutional outcomes flowing therefrom,” the letter said.

The letter was written on 31 July 2018, and signed by Nambago, Shituula and Angula.

The Team Swapo members are also threatening that should there be no steps taken on or before 20 August 2018, they will approach the High Court for action.

“It was in the spirit of keeping the ventilation and resolution of this dispute within the Swapo Party that we opted not to approach the High Court of Namibia. Be that as it may, however, given the delay caused by the Swapo Party, in the event that we are not on or before 20 August 2018 furnished an invitation for the election petition, we shall have no choice but to approach the High Court of Namibia for appropriate relief,” the letter read.

Nambata yesterday said since they wrote in February, the party had played delaying tactics and they were giving the secretary general a final opportunity to implement rules.

The secretary general, Nambata said, acknowledged receiving the letter and promised to present the concerns to the central committee.

According to Nambata, Swapo has a statutory obligation to ensure that its leaders were elected within the party structures in democratic, open, free and fair elections.

“Should the secretary general pretend to be above the Swapo Constitution, we shall have no option but to approach the High Court to resolve,” she said.

Nambata further said they believe that the Electoral Commission of Namibia should not allow Swapo to participate in the national and presidential elections scheduled for November next year unless its leadership proved that they were elected fairly, freely, and democratically.

Shaningwa told yesterday that she had not yet seen the letter.

“I have been very busy these past few days, and I have not seen the letter just yet. Perhaps it is still on the way to reach me, or it has been dropped by my administration department, so I cannot say anything now until I have seen it,” Shaningwa said.

The leading members of Team Swapo were Jerry Ekandjo, Nahas Angula, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, Petrina Haingura and Armas Amukwiyu.

Geingob’s slate – Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (vice president), Sophia Shaningwa (secretary general) and Marco Hausiku (deputy secretary general) – emerged victorious against the now disbanded Team Swapo during the elective congress.

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