Windhoek
The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) says it will never question the wisdom of the elders in the party who resolved to expel four of youth league members from the ruling party recently.
Doing so would put them at risk of being charged for indiscipline, the league’s secretary for legal affairs, Naftali Kambungu, remarked at a press conference held here on Friday.
Members of the press wanted to know why the youth league was mute on perceptions that former SPYL secretary Dr Elijah Ngurare, former league spokesperson Job Amupanda, as well as George Kambala and Dimbulukeni Nauyoma were expelled from Swapo unprocedurally.
The expelled quartet has since dragged the ruling party to court in a bid to have the expulsions declared unlawful.
“That is our mother body. We cannot question their decisions otherwise we will be charged if we question their decisions,” Kambungu said, adding that the SPYL leadership would only deal with issues that fall within its the sphere of its mandate.
“If the suspensions were made under our wing we can question it. That is what we call discipline. If we question the elders we risk being charged for ill-discipline,” he said.
Itope replaces Amupanda
At Thursday’s central committee meeting, which was boycotted by almost all national executive committee members, delegates elected Neville Itope to serve as the youth league’s new secretary for information, publicity and mobilisation.
“The CC further consider the alleged decision to suspend Nekundi as null and void, by virtue of the SPYL constitution,” Itope said and the meeting endorsed SPYL’s deputy secretary, Veikko Nekundi, as the league’s acting secretary.
Itope admitted that unity is non-existent within the SPYL, but pointed out that the central committee is eager to unite the youth wing as soon as possible.
“It is not a secret that there are fights within the SPYL. We are working on ways to strengthen unity within the youth league and to boost the popularity of the entire organisation, instead of fighting [each other] the whole time,” he said.
Towards this end, Itope said the CC had placed a moratorium on the arbitrary suspensions of SPYL members at all levels and that any unbecoming behaviour or perceived misconduct of any member should be submitted in writing to the secretary for labour and justice.
“The CC also calls upon all leaders at all levels to ensure that all decisions are made in the conformity with the SPYL constitution,” he said.
Nekundi to convene NEC meeting
Nekundi has now been tasked by the CC, in his capacity as acting secretary, to convene an NEC meeting within seven days and for the NEC to call a CC meeting within 21 days.
Nekundi and many NEC members do not see eye to eye, evidenced by the fact that the NEC recently suspended him, a decision that was roundly rejected by the CC last week.