This week, the High Court granted an order interdicting SWAPO from replacing Cde Ester Nghidimbwa, who was wrongly sworn in last year instead of Cde Lucia Nghililewanga.
As many may recall, during the local authority elections at Helao Nafidi last year, SWAPO Party won six seats and the candidates on the party list were: Cde. Paulus Haikali, Cde Lucia Nghililewanga, Cde Panduleni Hainghumbi, Cde Eliaser Hipangelwa, Cde Lylie Hashoongo, Cde Tomas Kandjebo. The electorate must be commended for this usual trust and confidence.
On the other hand, Ester Nghidimbwa was a SWAPO Party candidate for the regional council of Oshikango Constituency. After failing to make it in that election, some wise people decided that she must be sworn in to replace Lucia Nghililewanga, who was duly elected as above while Nghidimbwa was not on the local authority list.
It is, of course, a very confusing issue and it sounds like a script from ‘Mr Ibu’ movie. I have some questions while waiting for the substantive matter to be heard in the High Court at a later date (as per judge ruling yesterday, 12 September 2016).
1. Who changed the party list to add someone who was not nominated at district level and what was the motive?
2. Considering that this was done since November last year, what was the role of the chairperson of the leaders assigned to Ohangwena, the regional coordinator and the secretary general in this abnormality?
3. Speculations are rife that the party leadership was involved on the one side. So, if all these were known, why waste party money knowing that the matter was done irregularly?
4. Why were the district or regional leadership not empowered to ensure that fairness and that the constitution was followed without fail?
5. Are some members more important than others? Why is that Cde Lucia Nghililewanga should be replaced by a female? Is that transgender empowerment and no longer women empowerment or what does it mean exactly?
Finally, I will not blame the court interdict by Cde Ester Nghidimbwa per se. There are many questions that need answers, otherwise a dangerous precedent is set, which is going to be difficult to regulate in future.
One can also see a footprint of some “Nyamu Notes” implementation aimed at embarrassing and potentially destroying the SWAPO Party from within, especially when party rules are applied selectively and with favouritism and nepotism. So, what is the party going to do against those who have brought such embarrassment to it: anything?
Dr Elijah Ngurare
Ongwediva