We’re not voting cows, Kavango West tells Shaningwa
SG's 'deliberate and calculated' moves under the spotlight
Kavango West leaders say they are no longer blind to dictatorial tendencies practiced by senior party leaders.
Swapo secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa arrived in the Kavango West Region yesterday to extinguish raging fires of discontent among members of the party’s Kapako district executive committee, who publicly announced that they will no longer be pushed around or be ‘voting cows’.
This after Shaningwa allegedly continued to recognise Maurus Nekaro as district coordinator of Kapako, instead of Valentinus Munkara, who was duly elected at last year’s district conference.
In her recent letters, Shaningwa allegedly referred to Nekaro as district coordinator, which has angered the district leadership. The group warned that if Swapo continues to impose unelected leaders on them, the region will pay the party back in its own coin, citing an example of how Paulus Mbangu from neighbouring Kavango East Region stood as an independent candidate and won against the Swapo candidate - who was allegedly also imposed on the people on the instigation of the party’s senior leadership in Windhoek. Mbangu is now the councillor for the Rundu Rural constituency.
Undue interference
Swapo’s ‘dictatorship tendencies’ and undue interference in regional matters could affect the party’s performance in the November general election, Kapako leaders warned in a press statement dated 27 April.
They accused senior members of the ruling party of allegedly attempting to discredit the outcome of the district conference that was held last year and which voted Munkara as coordinator. The two Kavango regions are Swapo strongholds.
Shaningwa informed the party’s Kavango West coordinator David Hamutenya that she will be visiting the Kapako and Mpungu constituencies to address issues pertaining to the outcome of their district conferences.
She was expected to hold a meeting yesterday at the Mbunza tribal office at around 14:00; however, by 15:00 it had not commenced.
Late yesterday, Shaningwa, Swapo’s chairperson of national leaders assigned to Kavango West Verna Sinimbo, and other leaders were still locked in a closed-door meeting at the Kapako constituency office.
The Kapako leaders said Swapo does not belong to certain individuals but to its rank and file, hence any form of intimidation and disregard for the party’s constitution will not be entertained in the district.
“This is the 'year of imagination'. The politics of today are not the same as the politics of yesteryear. There have been a lot of transformations in the way people perceive things,” the media release read.
“Therefore, we will not shy away from making it categorically clear that we are no longer voting cows.”
‘Deliberate and calculated’
“The conference followed due processes and it took place. Subsequently, the conference duly elected Munkara as the district coordinator. The secretary-general’s office did not recognise him,” the group alleged.
“Instead, the office [of the secretary-general] recognises Nekaro, who was not elected. The just-ended training, which took place in Windhoek on 24 April, is a clear indication that the secretary-general’s office plays [ignorant] and [uses] delaying tactics to sideline our legitimate district coordinator.”
“Another example is the secretary-general’s letter dated 24 April, in which Nekaro was copied in as the Kapako district coordinator. This is a deliberate and calculated move to undermine our democratic rights,” the disgruntled party members said.
“We ask the office of the secretary-general to be fair and transparent,” the group demanded.
“Munkara is our district coordinator. That is not going to change. Please do not force [on] us a leader we don’t want. Otherwise, what happened in Rundu Rural will spread all over the region like wildfire.”
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This after Shaningwa allegedly continued to recognise Maurus Nekaro as district coordinator of Kapako, instead of Valentinus Munkara, who was duly elected at last year’s district conference.
In her recent letters, Shaningwa allegedly referred to Nekaro as district coordinator, which has angered the district leadership. The group warned that if Swapo continues to impose unelected leaders on them, the region will pay the party back in its own coin, citing an example of how Paulus Mbangu from neighbouring Kavango East Region stood as an independent candidate and won against the Swapo candidate - who was allegedly also imposed on the people on the instigation of the party’s senior leadership in Windhoek. Mbangu is now the councillor for the Rundu Rural constituency.
Undue interference
Swapo’s ‘dictatorship tendencies’ and undue interference in regional matters could affect the party’s performance in the November general election, Kapako leaders warned in a press statement dated 27 April.
They accused senior members of the ruling party of allegedly attempting to discredit the outcome of the district conference that was held last year and which voted Munkara as coordinator. The two Kavango regions are Swapo strongholds.
Shaningwa informed the party’s Kavango West coordinator David Hamutenya that she will be visiting the Kapako and Mpungu constituencies to address issues pertaining to the outcome of their district conferences.
She was expected to hold a meeting yesterday at the Mbunza tribal office at around 14:00; however, by 15:00 it had not commenced.
Late yesterday, Shaningwa, Swapo’s chairperson of national leaders assigned to Kavango West Verna Sinimbo, and other leaders were still locked in a closed-door meeting at the Kapako constituency office.
The Kapako leaders said Swapo does not belong to certain individuals but to its rank and file, hence any form of intimidation and disregard for the party’s constitution will not be entertained in the district.
“This is the 'year of imagination'. The politics of today are not the same as the politics of yesteryear. There have been a lot of transformations in the way people perceive things,” the media release read.
“Therefore, we will not shy away from making it categorically clear that we are no longer voting cows.”
‘Deliberate and calculated’
“The conference followed due processes and it took place. Subsequently, the conference duly elected Munkara as the district coordinator. The secretary-general’s office did not recognise him,” the group alleged.
“Instead, the office [of the secretary-general] recognises Nekaro, who was not elected. The just-ended training, which took place in Windhoek on 24 April, is a clear indication that the secretary-general’s office plays [ignorant] and [uses] delaying tactics to sideline our legitimate district coordinator.”
“Another example is the secretary-general’s letter dated 24 April, in which Nekaro was copied in as the Kapako district coordinator. This is a deliberate and calculated move to undermine our democratic rights,” the disgruntled party members said.
“We ask the office of the secretary-general to be fair and transparent,” the group demanded.
“Munkara is our district coordinator. That is not going to change. Please do not force [on] us a leader we don’t want. Otherwise, what happened in Rundu Rural will spread all over the region like wildfire.”
[email protected]
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