Swapo dodging legal challenge, says Metcalfe
Richard Metcalfe, the lawyer representing the five Swapo members challenging the central committee's decision not to hold an extraordinary congress within 90 days of former president Hage Geingob's death in February, has criticised the ruling party for seemingly evading legitimate litigation.
“It seems that the ruling party is running away from legitimate litigation because it simply wants to avoid a High Court hearing on its inability to comply with its own constitution," he said yesterday.
This criticism followed a status report filed at court by Swapo and its presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who are represented by lawyer Gilroy Kasper.
They requested a modification of the court's order issued last Friday and filed yesterday, which set a deadline of 30 August for filing answering affidavits, asking the court to include a date for a case management hearing.
“The matter is therefore not yet ripe for the allocation of a hearing date, not only because the pleadings have not yet closed, but a case management meeting has also not been held between the parties,” the status report reads.
Swapo members Reinhold 'Iita Nayitsikile' Shipwikineni, Petrus Shituula, Joshua Martins, Erich Shivute and Aina Angula filed the application challenging the Swapo central committee’s decision to postpone the extraordinary congress to April 2025.
Additionally, Kasper gave notification of an intended counter-application to be filed against Shipwikineni.
“It seems that the ruling party is running away from legitimate litigation because it simply wants to avoid a High Court hearing on its inability to comply with its own constitution," he said yesterday.
This criticism followed a status report filed at court by Swapo and its presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who are represented by lawyer Gilroy Kasper.
They requested a modification of the court's order issued last Friday and filed yesterday, which set a deadline of 30 August for filing answering affidavits, asking the court to include a date for a case management hearing.
“The matter is therefore not yet ripe for the allocation of a hearing date, not only because the pleadings have not yet closed, but a case management meeting has also not been held between the parties,” the status report reads.
Swapo members Reinhold 'Iita Nayitsikile' Shipwikineni, Petrus Shituula, Joshua Martins, Erich Shivute and Aina Angula filed the application challenging the Swapo central committee’s decision to postpone the extraordinary congress to April 2025.
Additionally, Kasper gave notification of an intended counter-application to be filed against Shipwikineni.
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