2015-07-24Staff Report 2 Windhoek The proverbial political obituaries of Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) leaders – its secretary Dr Elijah Ngurare and Job Amupanda, George Kambala and Dimbulukeni Nauyoma – were written yesterday after the four were formally expelled from Swapo. A Swapo central committee (CC) meeting yesterday, chaired by party president Dr Hage Geingob, hammered the final nail in the quartet’s coffin by endorsing last week’s politburo recommendation to expel the four men. Expectations that the CC would exercise leniency on the recommendation seemed far-fetched, as the expulsions were swiftly rubber-stamped. This is despite the fact that the CC meeting took more than five hours of deliberations. Chairing his first CC meeting since taking over the party’s presidency in April, Geingob assured members that he is open to divergent views during deliberations. “We being here is not a love affair but comradeship so that we can discuss party issues. Even if you differ with me we will remain comrades,” said Geingob. CC sources told New Era that a number of attendees were irked by the fact that the agenda for the meeting was only circulated to them upon their arrival at the venue. They feel they were disadvantaged as they had no chance to prepare for the discussions. New Era understands that the party’s regional coordinator for Oshikoto, Armas Amukwiyu, wanted CC members to discuss the leadership vacuum in the SPYL, but others felt the league must be given the chance to sort out its own crisis. League deputy secretary Veikko Nekundi says he is acting secretary, but the national executive committee (NEC) of the league last week announced it had suspended Nekundi. Nekundi, in his supposed capacity as the league’s acting secretary, has called for an SPYL central committee meeting tomorrow, which he is expected to chair. All active NEC members, with the exception of Nekundi, said they would boycott tomorrow’s CC meeting. Former prime minister Nahas Angula is said to have been vocal on the manner the party’s administrators are managing the party. “The administration was heavily criticized because it is failing the party. In 2013, the disciplinary committee was tasked to conduct an investigation regarding the conduct of the youth in the party but it was never done,” a CC member said. Towards the end of the CC meeting, Geingob is said to have asked politburo members to remain behind for a few minutes to discuss his [Geingob’s] meeting with AR leaders Amupanda, Nauyoma and Kambala, set for State House this morning. The politburo was also expected to discuss the SPYL leadership situation. Some of the points on yesterday’s agenda included the report of the politburo, inner party life, government’s efforts on land demands and Swapo’s political mobilisation. The politburo report indicated that it is concerned about the increased instances of quarrels and infighting within the party structures, especially at district level. “Leaders and members at this level are busy fighting one another in order to position themselves for the upcoming Regional Council and Local Authority elections,” states the report. At a press conference held late yesterday afternoon to share the outcome of the CC meeting, secretary general Nangolo Mbumba said the CC called on Namibians to remain calm and allow government sufficient time to address the land question. Regarding claims that the party’s administrative machinery was below par the last few years, Mbumba said: “Those who are criticizing must wait for their chance to become SG so that they can experience how difficult it is to run a party.” Mbumba made it clear yesterday that the suspended SPYL leaders cannot appeal their expulsion. “Only a congress can overturn the decision,” he said. 2015-07-24Staff Report 2
