SPYL denies plot to remove Sheya as governor
Nekongo says Muharukua doesn’t qualify - yet
With Swapo constantly struggling to impress in the Kunene Region, newbie Muharukua is allegedly being touted for the position.
Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) secretary Ephraim Nekongo has poured cold water on allegations that the league is orchestrating a plot to have Kunene governor Marius Sheya replaced with Vipua Muharukua, who recently joined the ruling party from the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM).
Sheya has endured a frosty relationship with SPYL's top leaders after the league’s national executive committee passed a vote of no confidence against him in November 2021 and removed him as its secretary for economic affairs.
At the time, Sheya was branded as one of the 'State House water boys', a reference to perceived stooges of late president Hage Geingob in the youth league. He was accused of pushing the Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso) agenda within the SPYL by directly recommending the appointment of leaders from the student body to government positions, including parliament, without the league’s involvement - as is tradition.
In recent weeks, talks have been rife that SPYL leaders have started a silent campaign against Sheya to ensure that he is not retained as governor if Swapo candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah wins the November election. Nekongo is perceived to be among the power brokers within Nandi-Ndaitwah’s immediate circle.
‘Media fabrications’
Former PDM member of parliament Muharukua sang Nandi-Ndaitwah’s praises when he joined Swapo recently, saying he would campaign for her victory.
A native of Kunene Region where Swapo has struggled to win elections since independence, Muharukua is seen by some as the man to unlock Swapo’s electoral fortunes in the northwestern region. When it recalled Sheya in 2021, SPYL’s official version was that the league was 'dead and inactive' in Kunene under his leadership.
Nekongo denied any plot to replace Sheya with Muharukua, saying those joining Swapo need to serve the party for at least five years before they can be considered for leadership positions in government. Some in Swapo have said the party was prepared to forego this rule, amid desperation to end the dominance of particularly the PDM in Kunene.
Nekongo said: “I am not aware of anything like that [removing Sheya] and I must state it categorically clear that I lead the SPYL and I am on many platforms of the party and there has never been such discussion”.
“I am also not aware that there will be any governor that will be replaced to my knowledge,” he said, attributing the allegations to ‘media fabrications’.
Null and void
“Muharukua came to Swapo, and if you are a defecting member, you still have five years to make sure that your membership is in good standing. Therefore, that Muharukua governorship is null and void,” the SPYL secretary said.
“The people of Kunene remain with their governor. Maybe the issue of the governor will come up next year when there is a new government, but at the moment, we are just encouraging our people to register to vote for the Swapo Party.”
He added: “For your information, the governor you are talking about is a member of the Swapo Party central committee and the SPYL central committee and I don’t know why there are such conversations. Maybe I do not know, but from our side, there is nothing like that”.
Asked whether he would vouch for Sheya to remain the governor of Kunene if that discussion comes up in the near future, Nekongo said: “Why not? Unless you guys give us a reason not to”.
A party united
On his part, Muharukua said he was ‘irritated’ by talks that he was being lined up to replace Sheya.
“I’m focused on helping my party, Swapo, regain its two-thirds majority, and our presidential candidate to get the strongest possible mandate from Namibians,” he told Namibian Sun.
“The whole party is united and focused on that. My brother, Honourable Sheya, is equally focused on that. That’s why he’s delivering so well in the Kunene Region. No party member is interested in those destructive plots and allegations and unnecessary conversations about positions.”
Sheya had not responded to questions sent to him at the time of going to print.
Sheya has endured a frosty relationship with SPYL's top leaders after the league’s national executive committee passed a vote of no confidence against him in November 2021 and removed him as its secretary for economic affairs.
At the time, Sheya was branded as one of the 'State House water boys', a reference to perceived stooges of late president Hage Geingob in the youth league. He was accused of pushing the Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso) agenda within the SPYL by directly recommending the appointment of leaders from the student body to government positions, including parliament, without the league’s involvement - as is tradition.
In recent weeks, talks have been rife that SPYL leaders have started a silent campaign against Sheya to ensure that he is not retained as governor if Swapo candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah wins the November election. Nekongo is perceived to be among the power brokers within Nandi-Ndaitwah’s immediate circle.
‘Media fabrications’
Former PDM member of parliament Muharukua sang Nandi-Ndaitwah’s praises when he joined Swapo recently, saying he would campaign for her victory.
A native of Kunene Region where Swapo has struggled to win elections since independence, Muharukua is seen by some as the man to unlock Swapo’s electoral fortunes in the northwestern region. When it recalled Sheya in 2021, SPYL’s official version was that the league was 'dead and inactive' in Kunene under his leadership.
Nekongo denied any plot to replace Sheya with Muharukua, saying those joining Swapo need to serve the party for at least five years before they can be considered for leadership positions in government. Some in Swapo have said the party was prepared to forego this rule, amid desperation to end the dominance of particularly the PDM in Kunene.
Nekongo said: “I am not aware of anything like that [removing Sheya] and I must state it categorically clear that I lead the SPYL and I am on many platforms of the party and there has never been such discussion”.
“I am also not aware that there will be any governor that will be replaced to my knowledge,” he said, attributing the allegations to ‘media fabrications’.
Null and void
“Muharukua came to Swapo, and if you are a defecting member, you still have five years to make sure that your membership is in good standing. Therefore, that Muharukua governorship is null and void,” the SPYL secretary said.
“The people of Kunene remain with their governor. Maybe the issue of the governor will come up next year when there is a new government, but at the moment, we are just encouraging our people to register to vote for the Swapo Party.”
He added: “For your information, the governor you are talking about is a member of the Swapo Party central committee and the SPYL central committee and I don’t know why there are such conversations. Maybe I do not know, but from our side, there is nothing like that”.
Asked whether he would vouch for Sheya to remain the governor of Kunene if that discussion comes up in the near future, Nekongo said: “Why not? Unless you guys give us a reason not to”.
A party united
On his part, Muharukua said he was ‘irritated’ by talks that he was being lined up to replace Sheya.
“I’m focused on helping my party, Swapo, regain its two-thirds majority, and our presidential candidate to get the strongest possible mandate from Namibians,” he told Namibian Sun.
“The whole party is united and focused on that. My brother, Honourable Sheya, is equally focused on that. That’s why he’s delivering so well in the Kunene Region. No party member is interested in those destructive plots and allegations and unnecessary conversations about positions.”
Sheya had not responded to questions sent to him at the time of going to print.
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