By Kuvee Kangueehi Windhoek Political instability continues to be rife in the Congress of Democrats (CoD) and the party announced yesterday that it has decided to suspend the Young Democrats Secretary-General Ipumbu Kalimbo pending an investigation being carried out by a disciplinary committee. The suspension comes three weeks after the CoD announced that they have resolved to hold an extraordinary congress in May, barely three years since the last congress because of reported infighting among its top leadership. In a press release issued yesterday, the CoD Deputy Secretary-General Mauritius Goseb said the Young Democrats decided at a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held February 17 to serve a suspension notice on the Secretary-General pending investigations carried out by a disciplinary committee. “The NEC, in its capacity as the highest decision-making organ of the Young Democrats upon consideration of the charges presented to it, endorsed the imposition of the suspension on the S-G until the outcome of the investigation.” The Young Democrats noted further that Deputy S-G Goseb would act as Secretary-General during the period in an acting capacity “The suspended S-G is under no circumstances on any official duty representing the Young Democrats.” The Acting S-G said a number of charges are being investigated against the S-G, which will be made public at a later stage. Goseb said that, upon the findings, the disciplinary committee will compile final charges and issue notice for the disciplinary hearings. However, the former Acting Secretary-General of the Young Democrats, Agapitus Hausiku, took a swipe at the suspended Kalimbo earlier and accused him of providing poor leadership. In a media release, Hausiku claimed that Kalimbo has three court cases of assault pending against him and that he even assaulted a female colleague at work. “He also assaulted and threatened to stab a male colleague with a knife during a fight in a shebeen in the North.” In the letter Hausiku further alleged that Kalimbo abuses office cars, makes telephone calls to the tune of N$3ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 per month, and fails to report used finances. Hausiku said that as a bona fide member he would never be willing to accept a leader who is visionless, purposeless, arrogant and, most of all, a criminal, to lead the Young Democrats. However, a CoD insider claims that the suspension of Kalimbo has been prompted by the upcoming extraordinary congress. She claimed that Kalimbo, being a strong ally of CoD’s president, Ben Ulenga, is being taken out of the equation in order for the Young Democrats to back another candidate set to challenge Ulenga. The CoD was formed in March 1999 after the high-profile departure of Ben Ulenga from Swapo. Ulenga resigned his post as High Commissioner of Namibia to the United Kingdom in October 1998, citing as the reason his unhappiness with former President Sam Nujoma’s plans to run for a third term. At the launch of the party, Ulenga was joined by ex-Permanent Secretary Tsudao Gurirab, former Swanu activist Nora Schimming-Chase, and Kavari.