WINDHOEK – The Swapo Party District Coordinator in the Grootfontein area was arrested on Monday for assaulting a comrade last week Thursday during a meeting convened to nominate a district mobiliser, who would contest the position of regional mobiliser for the Otjizondjupa Region in elections slated for later this year in Otjiwarongo.
According to sources who were present during the fracas, the district coordinator who is also a councillor in the Grootfontein local authority allegedly punched one of the district executive members in the face over minutes pertaining to the nomination meeting. It is alleged that the councillor did not allow the nominations to take place, because he apparently decided on his own nominee. The two contenders for the position of district mobiliser were Mandume Kawana and Moses Shonyeka of which the winner would go and contest the regional mobiliser position. “When he realised that one of the candidates is Mandume Kawana, he decided to anonymously choose the other candidate without allowing the house to democratically vote the person to go and participate in Otjiwarongo for the regional mobiliser position. We only saw him going outside [talking] on his cellphone and when he came back inside, he announced that there is no elections, because they will only take the first nominee (Moses Shonyeka). He then told us that we are done without [explaining], but the minutes were not adopted by the meeting. We did not understand and he would also not explain to the meeting as to how he reached such a decision,” sources charged. During the process, district executive members allegedly started demanding the minutes, but the councillor refused. “I went to the table to get the minutes, so I could read them to the house, but then he punched me with a fist in the face and I fell down. I did not fight him back, so I went to open a case of assault at the police station that same Thursday evening,” said a member who was attacked, but declined to be identified.
On Monday the Grootfontein police confirmed the arrest of the Swapo District Coordinator. Mandume and Shonyeka were not available for comment by the time of going to press yesterday. “We have arrested him this morning (Monday). He is here in police custody, but he is not yet charged but a case of grievous bodily harm has been opened against him. The case number is CR29/01/2014,” said a senior police officer who refused to be identified. It is also reported that the councillor has a history of assaulting his comrades. In 2012, he allegedly attacked an expectant mother, Elizabeth Kuune while they were busy organising a branch leadership election. “He beat comrade Elizabeth Kuune while she was pregnant. But no case was laid against him. Now he continues assaulting fellow comrades. Maybe he is mentally disturbed, because he was a former soldier before he resigned from the Namibia Defence Force,” said another member. The accused was expected to appear in the Grootfontein Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
By Albertina Nakale