…Swanu could benefit
RUNDU – Former DTA leader Katuutire Kaura, yesterday denied he is lobbying members from his camp to terminate their DTA membership and to defect to a rival opposition party Swanu of Namibia.
Kaura, who used to be a card-carrying member of Swanu, is accused of being unwilling to report to the more youthful leadership of the party on parliamentary matters. “This is a stupid lie…I must take them to Swanu so that they can go and do what? I have no problems with anybody,” said Kaura when approached for comment yesterday. Insiders alerted New Era about a rift between Kaura and the party’s youthful top leadership. “Kaura is not reporting to the party as to how the party is doing in parliament and he hardly comes to the party offices. We are aware that he is sabotaging the party by using other people to influence his supporters to join Swanu where he came from…but an internal investigation to get to the bottom of this will be done,” said the source.
“I do not report to any individual, I report to the 25 000 people who voted for the party. The television, radio and newspapers are there, anyone who watches television or reads papers will know what I am all about, I do not need to run to people to report what is happening in parliament,” said the veteran politician. He assured the party leadership that should any party member “come to me and they want a certain question to be asked in parliament I will do that.”
Meanwhile, the party’s incumbent president, Mchenry Venaani, declined to comment on the matter, saying only “for now it is just rumours circulating.”
“Whoever is doing the lobbying I do not know… but this is what happens when you have a situation where you do not have the party leadership, mainly the top leadership in parliament. Generally, the party has joint caucuses to decide on what should be discussed and decisions first have to go through my office,” said Venaani.
“The rumours are circulating, but I do not want to give any comment, because it might not even be Kaura lobbying people,” he said. The DTA held an elective congress in September where Kaura’s 15-year presidency came to an end after Venaani garnered most of the votes during the internal elections for the top seat. Although Kaura said he graciously accepted defeat, DTA sources claim his actions do not reflect that of someone who accepted defeat.
By Mathias Haufiku