By Kuvee Kangueehi
Windhoek
Congress of Democrats (CoD) MP, Kalla Gertze, says his faction will continue with the ongoing court case despite the resignation of their key witness, Ignatius Shixwameni, from the party.
Speaking to New Era yesterday after Shixwameni’s resignation, Gertze said he had not yet been officially informed about the resignation but his faction would go ahead with the court case, which is set for end of next month.
Gertze said Shixwameni’s resignation shows how people are fed up with the CoD and the Ben Ulenga leadership. He said people are fully aware that the court case will not solve the CoD’s problems and therefore have decided to move on.
“People cannot sit and wait, and some believe that to wait on the outcome of the court case is a waste of time.”
Gertze said he cannot elaborate anymore on the position of his faction regarding the court case, as he has to consult with other group members to take an official position.
A party insider claims that Shixwameni informed the group about his intention earlier and some agreed with his decision, while others wanted him to stay on until after the court case.
Some of the group members believe that the CoD can never recover from the crisis and the court case was in essence a ploy to buy time for the CoD members that are in Parliament and regional councils.
The insider further noted that the idea of leaving the CoD and forming a new party was mooted but some senior party members such as its former vice president, Nora Schimming-Chase, indicated that she does not wish to form a new party but will rather retire from active politics.
Shixwameni said the name and image of the CoD was already damaged and nobody wants to be associated with the official opposition party.
He wished his former faction good luck with the court case and said there were seven applicants in the case and the other six can replace him as key witness.
It remains to be seen how Shixwameni’s resignation will affect the court case but some believe that Shixwameni was the most credible party member in this faction and his resignation will see many people lose hope.
The court case will determine the leadership of the CoD, as the faction led by Schimming-Chase disputes the election of Ulenga claiming that he rigged the election at the party’s extraordinary congress in Keetmanshoop earlier this year.
However, Ulenga claims that Schimming-Chase’s faction is made up of a group of bad losers who cannot accept defeat.