Landless People’s Movement deputy leader Henny Seibeb has been accused of acting with impunity, taking no accountability for his actions and personally attacking those who question him on social media.
The accusations are contained in a scathing resignation letter that Sixtus ‘Ziggy’ Isaacks, the founding member of LPM in the //Kharas region and former LPM director of elections, tendered on 15 March.
“A party leadership who continuously insult and defame characters of their own who have sacrificed their resources to the growth of the party, has [in Seibeb’s estimation] become ‘useless, anarchist, irrelevant, insignificant, tribalists, thieves, drunkards and planted by Swapo and on its payroll’. I’m a person of integrity and self-respect and would not associate myself with such tendencies,” Isaacks said in a letter obtained by New Era yesterday. “We are leaders of our own houses, families, and the society who look up to us, hence our characters are defamed by leaders whom we have entrusted to lead LPM to greater highs,” he added.
Seibeb late yesterday afternoon rubbished the allegations by saying, “Hogwash. Such a thing doesn’t exist. Is the author even a member of LPM?” He then referred this reporter to the party’s spokesperson.
There has been a number of resignations and recalling of councillors from LPM in the last few months.
Earlier this month, Mariental mayor Adam Kuhlman tendered his resignation. Kuhlman was also the chairperson of the Mayors and Chairpersons Forum established last year at the town to support local authorities in delivering land, acquiring financing for development and supporting municipalities with human resources and equipment, among others. Also, the party earlier this month recalled two of its councillors at Mariental for allegedly colluding with Swapo. The two recalled councillors are Daniel Gariseb and Rogetta Haak, who represented the party on the Mariental Town Council.
In Keetmanshoop, LPM recalled its elected mayor Maree Smit late last year. The same fate fell on Elvis Skakana and Willy Kisting.
LPM spokesperson Eneas Emvula accused Isaacks of having developed hatred for order, discipline, and began to meander from argument to argument with all and sundry.
“He never recovered from this malfeasance. His hate-based political ambition deteriorated into a negative stench of inside fighting at local and regional party structures’ levels,” Emvula said. Emvula said it is unfortunate that the character assassination campaign gunning LPM leader Bernadus Swartbooi (MP) and Seibeb is in attempts to discredit the LPM in general.
“Both Mr Isaacks and Mr Kuhlman are in cahoots with their supporters – Swapo social media based cheerleaders – have no leverage against tested nationalist politicians and leaders of the formidable political party, LPM. Such a short-lived campaign must be disregarded in the strongest terms,” said Emvula. At present, the party is finalising processes at law to possibly institute criminal charges against Isaacks for the disappearance of over N$76 000 at a time when he was still receiving his allowance.
“This amount is unaccounted for in terms of the financial and accounting procedures of the LPM. Mr Isaacks deliberately refused to, and persists in that refusal, to subject himself to basic governance systems of the institution,” Emvula said.