WINDHOEK – DTA stalwarts Katuutire Kaura and Phillemon Moongo have both been nominated to stand, as candidates for the party’s electoral college through which the party will elect candidates that will represent it in the National Assembly.
The minority DTA, which at independence had 21 seats, now only has two seats in the 72-seat National Assembly, will hold its electoral college on Saturday.
Moongo and Kaura, who were the party’s vice president and president respectively, both served as the party’s MPs before Kaura’s ousting from parliament by his own party.
The party’s secretary general Vinsent Kanyetu confirmed the nominations to New Era yesterday and indicated each member is eligible to contest for a place on the coveted parliamentary list.
Kanyetu said his office on Friday received 140 names of the people who will be competing for a spot on the list. Each of the 14 regions were required to submit 10 names to the ‘pot.’
Moongo told New Era yesterday he will not be available as a candidate and indicated that he wants to give time to his fellow party members to move up the ranks in the party.
“I do not want to stand. My time is over,” said Moongo.
Moongo thanked the DTA leadership for presenting him with an opportunity to represent the party in the National Assembly and urged all DTA supporters to go out in numbers and vote for the party.
“I want to thank Mishake Muyongo in particular who showed trust in my political abilities. I am glad that I helped to transform the party after difficult times of intolerance and hatred, which prevailed. The difficult times are now over therefore it is time to give others a chance,” said Moongo.
Both Moongo and Kaura were thrown a lifeline last year by party president McHenry Venaani who decided that the two should serve on as the party’s representatives in the National Assembly even after losing their positions as party president and vice president respectively.
Efforts to get hold of Kaura to find out whether he will decline or accept the nomination proved futile as his mobile phone went unanswered yesterday.
The electoral college will be held in Windhoek this weekend. The voting process will be preceded by the party’s central committee meeting where CC members are expected to adopt the party manifesto, which will be launched on the same day.