Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Swapo politburo did not discuss Swartbooi

Home Front Page News Swapo politburo did not discuss Swartbooi

Windhoek

The Swapo Party politburo has put to bed all talk that its last meeting was called to discuss measures to be taken against the former deputy land reform minister, Bernadus Swartbooi, for his public criticism of his senior, Minister Utoni Nujoma, over the manner in which the latter handled the land resettlement programme.

The politburo meeting on Monday came hot on the heels of Swartbooi’s public outburst that Nujoma is resettling people from other regions on farms in the South at the expense of the landless Southerners themselves.

However, announcing the decisions of the politburo’s 20th sitting since its formation in 2012, Swapo deputy secretary general Laura McLeod-Katjirua dispelled the allegations when responding to questions from the media on whether the Swartbooi issue was on the agenda.

“Everything I did not announce today means it was not discussed at the politburo,” she said. “It was a scheduled meeting of the politburo and not a special or urgent meeting. It was also not called to discuss certain urgent matters, as alleged in some quarters,” she said.

On Tuesday afternoon, news hit the streets that Swartbooi had resigned from his ministerial post following a meeting with President Hage Geingob, Vice-President Nicky Iyambo, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, and the minister in the Office of the Presidency, Frans Kapofi.

The official position is that Swartbooi resigned after refusing to heed Geingob’s call for him to apologise, but there are other reports suggesting he has not resigned and that he in fact reported for duty yesterday, as he is apparently waiting for a letter of dismissal from the president.

While Swartbooi yesterday reportedly said he has not resigned and was waiting for the said letter signalling his dismissal, the Presidency maintained that it was waiting on his resignation letter.

McLeod-Katjirua further announced that the politburo expressed concern over continued references to President Hage Geingob as the acting president of the party and further reiterated a decision by its central committee (CC) to endorse him as full leader of the organisation.

The politburo resolved unequivocally that Geingob assume full presidency of the party after former Swapo Party president Hifikepunye Pohamba handed over power to him in 2014. “All instruments of power and authority were handed over by [Pohamba] to Geingob with the decision of the CC. That decision still stands,” she stated.

“The politburo condemns this behaviour and attitude of referring to the president as ‘acting president’, as it is not only incorrect and unacceptable, but intolerable and must end,” she concluded.
The CC is Swapo’s highest decision-making body between congresses.