Veil of mystery over Nora recall

A WEEK after the official opposition party Congress of Democrats (CoD) controversially recalled one of its most prominent Members of Parliament, the issue remains shrouded in mystery.

Allegations that Nora Schimming-Chase paid money for party funding into a bank account other than that normally used by CoD, and ‘failed to explain where the money went’, remain vague.
Approached yesterday, CoD Secretary Tsudao Gurirab declined to comment.
‘The CoD will not express itself on the matter any further. We informed the media last week about her recall,’ Gurirab told The Namibian.
The CoD had laid a charge against Schimming-Chase and a former member, Ignatius Shixwameni, back in December 2007.
However, the matter dragged on and last month Schimming-Chase’s lawyers filed her answering affidavit, stating that since July 2007, other CoD members took over control of the party’s bank accounts and should provide proof of payments and transactions.
The matter will only be heard in the High Court next year, The Namibian has reliably learnt.
‘I have packed up most my files like Hansards and documents for MPs I had in my Parliamentary office,’ Schimming-Chase told The Namibian yesterday.
‘A party has the right to recall members, but I am very surprised that my party went public about my recall on August 3 2009 and I only received a letter pushed under the door of my office in Parliament on August 6. A Government newspaper already had written about my recall on the third of August.’
The veteran politician said she found the timing of her recall ‘surprising, to say the least’.
‘I took no money from CoD at any time and I accounted for all of it in my affidavit filed in the High Court last month on July 20 with documentation explaining in great detail. Only ten days later, the National Working Committee (NWC) meets and decides to suddenly recall me, that is interesting,’ she added.
In her affidavit seen by The Namibian, her lawyers provided documents which proved that Schimming-Chase was authorised by CoD and even by the National Assembly in 2007 to receive cheques for party funding from the Secretariat of the National Assembly.
At that time the party had shown signs of a split, which deepened during a controversial party congress at Keetmanshoop in May 2007, when a group lead by Shixwameni staged a walkout, claiming rigging of leadership election results in favour of CoD president Ben Ulenga.
Shixwameni, Schimming-Chase, who was vice-president, and a few others were then expelled from the party but they obtained an interim court order to retain their membership until a final ruling was made a year ago.
The High Court eventually ordered the CoD to hold another congress by December 2008 to elect a new leadership, which was done and Ulenga remained president.
In the documents attached to Schimming-Chase’s affidavit, several withdrawals from the party’s bank account are shown.
On December 18 2007, Ulenga received N$30 000; on December 27 2007 N$8 000 was transferred to him; another N$6 000 on January 5 2008; N$2 500 on January 15 2008; and another N$16 500 on January 16 2008 – all in all N$63 000.
The new CoD Treasury General, Elma Dienda, was asked to compile detailed statements of the party finances for the recent NWC meeting, but could not do so as she did not have all the receipts and documentation of transactions for the period since Schimming-Chase had stopped handling the party’s bank accounts.
Asked what she would do now, Schimming-Chase told The Namibian she would have to wait for the court case next year to clear her name.

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