Ejected Neka president threatens lawsuit

A faction within the divided Namibian Exile Kids Association (Neka) says they intend to challenge the legitimacy of incoming president Kadiva Hamutumwa.

Hamutumwa won the Neka elections on Sunday during a congress held at Otjiwarongo, defeating incumbent president Rauna Amutati by 125 votes to 4.

Sacky Nendongo was elected as the new vice-president while Elizabeth Shimwafeni was elected secretary general.

In a telephonic interview with Namibian Sun on Monday, Amutati said a group within the organisation, including herself, does not recognise the validity of Hamutumwa's election. She said they will consult lawyers to examine the legality of the elections.

She explained that, as president of the organisation, she dissolved the meeting on Sunday only to later learn that the elections had taken place and a new president had been elected. Amutati and outgoing Neka secretary general Mao Angula had walked out of the meeting.

“I ended the congress without the elections. There is a certain group that decided to go ahead. I walked out and decided to call off [the] elections. Only to hear elections were done,” she said.

Complied with directive

Amutati questioned the validity of the elections.

“We have to look at the legalities and consult," she said, adding: "We still have to see if those election results are valid."

She said she had complied with Swapo secretary general Sophia Shaningwa’s directive to call off the proceedings amid mounting tensions within Neka.

After Amutati and Angula left, the remaining five Neka executive committee members convened a meeting. They resolved to ask the delegates whether they wished to proceed with the agenda or conclude the proceedings.

“A majority of the delegates voted to continue with the agenda as is. As per the rules of the organisation, if the president, who is chairing the meeting, is unable to sit in the congress due to illness or they walk out, the vice-president can continue to chair the congress. This is what happened in this case. The congress will continue for as long as the quorum is available,” a source told Namibian Sun.

Hamutumwa entered the congress as the incumbent vice-president of Neka.

Sources indicated that delegates from 12 out of 14 regions remained present at the meeting, with about 20 delegates from Kavango East and West walking out.

Shaningwa meddles

In a letter addressed to Amutati, Hamutumwa and Angula, Shaningwa requested that the trio communicate with delegates to cease hostilities, work together, and refrain from splitting into groups, which she deemed counterproductive.

“Your ugly campaigns at this time, when we are just a few months before the elections, will spill over to Swapo Party and will affect our party campaign negatively. In our meeting with [Pohamba] Shifeta and the three of you, I advised you, as your secretary general of your party, to rather postpone your elections, as this is the source of such ugly tensions ... and only proceed with your constitutional amendments and other matters,” she said.

Neka delegates felt that since their organisation is still not officially an affiliate of Swapo, Shaningwa had no right to meddle in its affairs and call off the proceedings.

Neka has applied to become an official affiliate of the party, but they were told to change some provisions in their constitution. Only after their amended constitution is resubmitted to Swapo will the party review the application for affiliation.

Shaningwa and Hamutumwa could not be reached at the time of going to print.

Sailed through

Amendments to the constitution were finalised at the congress and will be submitted soon to Swapo, insiders said.

Fillemon Wise Immanuel, tasked with drafting the new Neka Constitution and aligning it with the Swapo Party Constitution, praised the process.

He said the new constitution was approved unanimously, without any objections.

The document was signed by outgoing members of the national executive committee and all regional presidents for immediate implementation.

Elections for the new office bearers, including the top four and members of the central committee, were conducted in accordance with the new constitution.

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