By Albertina Nakale
WINDHOEK – The ruling Swapo Party is still undecided whether it should send corruption convict Marina Kandumbu to parliament come March 21, when President-Elect Dr Hage Geingob will be sworn in as the country’s third president with his team of new MPs.
Kandumbu was last year fined after being found guilty of 55 counts of corruptly using her office to obtain gratification by renting out her subsidised house while receiving a housing subsidy. Critics are using this criminal conviction to try to block her from going to parliament.
When asked on the party’s stance regarding Kandumbu, Swapo Party secretary general, Nangolo Mbumba, said: “The Swapo Party is seized with that issue and at the time of its own choosing will make a final announcement on the final 77 names (to go to parliament).”
Recently New Era ran an article that there are ongoing attempts to block two National Assembly-bound officials from the Kavango Region from making their debut in the national legislature on March 21, 2015, when new MPs are sworn in.
The two are Marina Kandumbu and Annakletha Sikerete, who are at positions 70 and 66 on Swapo’s parliamentary list, respectively.
Critics claim the two who are on the list of 77 Swapo members bound for the National Assembly should not be allowed to serve as MPs because one was convicted on a charge of corruption while the other retired after being declared ‘medically unfit to work’.
Mbumba said the party has its internal rules that must be followed and a constitution that guides decision-making.
“So, instead of jumping the gun, we will take our time and take a collective decision,” he said.
Sikerete stands accused of allegedly resigning from her job a few years ago after being declared ‘medically unfit’ to continue work.
Kandumbu earlier told this publication the law took its course when she was given a fine, hence she sees no reason why the issue should surface now.
“Why is this issue only surfacing now that I must go to parliament? Had I not made it I am sure people would not have brought this up,” she said.
Kandumbu referred New Era to Article 47 of the Namibian Constitution, which deals with disqualification of members from the National Assembly, stating that “when I go to parliament I am not contravening any laws.”
Article 47 of the country’s legal instrument that deals with disqualification of members states: “No persons may become members of the National Assembly if they: (a) have at any time after independence been convicted of any offence in Namibia, or outside Namibia, and for which they have been sentenced to death or to imprisonment of more than 12 months without the option of a fine, unless they have received a free pardon or unless such imprisonment has expired at least 10 years before the date of their election.”
Secretary of the National Assembly, Jakes Jacobs, said the fact that Kandumbu was given the option of a fine by the court for her offence and as per the constitution, she is eligible for parliament. Sikerete was given the option of a fine, which makes her eligible to be sworn in as a lawmaker.
“I know these claims come from disgruntled individuals who want to stop me from representing the people,” Kandumbu hit back.
Kandumbu resigned as an education planner at the Kavango regional education directorate last year after the results were released, as section 30 of the Public Service Act deems a staff member who has made it to parliament as having resigned the day election results were announced.
Sikerete allegedly resigned from her post as regional coordinator for the USAID-funded Tusanu programme in the entire Kavango Region.
In fact, the NewStart Centre in Rundu under which the programme fell confirmed Sikerete never resigned but was retrenched – quelling false claims that her health condition forced her to step down.
“I never resigned, I was retrenched after the programme I was working under came to an end. People are just making up stories because I was home during the time I was retrenched nursing an illness so people concluded that I resigned because I was not medically fit,” she insisted.