Some members of the National Youth Council have approached lawyers to challenge the postponement of an NYC representative council meeting that was scheduled to take place in Swakopmund from Wednesday to Friday this week.
NYC executive chairperson Sharonice Busch on Wednesday cancelled the RC meeting at the last minute, citing a rise in Covid-19 cases.
“Due to the sustained threat of Covid-19 and its variants, the health and wellbeing of all NYC members takes priority over any scheduled activities,” she said in a memo.
This is despite RC members having travelled to Swakopmund in the Erongo region, and booked accommodation for that meeting.
Delegate to the RC meeting Mbajoroka Tjitemisa and 50 others, through his lawyers TK Kaurivi Legal Practitioners, wrote to Busch to state that the postponement is unlawful.
“You do not have the powers to cancel the scheduled RC meeting. There are alternatives to cancellation, and they must be explored. One such alternative is to hold a virtual meeting for the members who tested positive for Covid-19,” Tjitemisa said through his lawyers.
“We demand that the meeting must commence on the 16th [yesterday].”
Tjitemisa said should Busch fail to meet their demands, they will approach the High Court to seek an appropriate order on an urgent basis.
“The cost of such application will be placed on you personally,” he warned.
Busch had at the time of going to print yesterday not responded to a WhatsApp message forwarded to her, although she had seen the message as a blue tick appears next to it.
Nonetheless, in the Wednesday memo, Busch had said the NYC board promised to arrange a new representative council meeting as soon as possible.
“We remain committed to ensuring that we comply with the statutory requirement of having this meeting and the elections as soon as safely possible,” she added.
The NYC was created to foster a spirit of national identity, a sense of unity and self-respect as well as in-depth awareness of social, economic, political, educational and cultural prospects among the Namibian youth.
Its aim is also to develop the abilities and capabilities of young people both individually and collectively, and to encourage literacy and artistic activities among the youth.