2016-05-12Staff Report 2 Windhoek The ruling Swapo has opted not to appeal the court ruling ordering it to reinstate four young politicians it unprocedurally gave marching orders last year. Dr Elijah Ngurare, Job Amupanda, Dimbulukweni Nauyoma and George Kambala were expelled from Swapo last year following differences over how the thorny land issue facing the country should be tackled. On April 28, Dirk Conradie, Swapo’s lawyer in the matter in which the four men protested their expulsion in court, wrote a letter to the quartet’s lawyers to announce that the ruling party would fully comply with the ruling. Last month, Acting High Court Judge Collins Parker set aside the suspension and subsequent expulsions of Amupanda, Kambala and Nauyoma and the direct expulsion of Ngurare. He then ordered Swapo to pay 60 percent of the four men’s legal costs. In the letter, Conradie said: “It is our instructions to inform you that our client abides by the ruling of the court.” “It is further our instructions to inform you that the purport of the court order is that your clients’ expulsion is set aside, rendering the expulsion of no force or effect and accordingly your clients remain members of the Swapo Party by virtue of the court order,” the letter, seen by New Era, reads. Swapo’s secretary for legal affairs Albert Kawana was recently quoted by The Patriot as saying that the four would not be victimised upon their arrival back in the party but maintained the party must still decide whether it will reinstate the charges against them. At the time of their suspension Ngurare was the youth league secretary, while Amupanda had just resigned as the wing’s spokesperson. They were given the boot amidst ongoing bickering and factional infighting within the governing party, and predominantly for their involvement with or support of the Affirmative Repositioning movement. Speaking on behalf of the others, Amupanda said they are currently not looking at trying to regain their former positions or to compete for any other position at the party’s ordinary congress next year. “We are very busy with the [Affirmative Repositioning movement] programme. We have work and family, some us are into agriculture while seriously engaging internationally and into writing. That question will be discussed with some comrades at a later stage,” Amupanda explained. “Ambition is the last thing on our minds but there are those who are very scared and afraid of us, but we can compete for any position including that of party vice-president. I have outgrown the youth league and am not interested in any position. When I decide to I will compete for the position of vice-president,” he said jokingly. 2016-05-12Staff Report 2
