Swartbooi addresses ‘delusional’ Witbooi’s claims
Elizabeth JosephWINDHOEK
Landless People’s Movement (LPM) leader Bernadus Swartbooi has spoken out about the events that resulted in the expulsion of Keetmanshoop regional constituency councillor Gerrit Witbooi from the party on Friday.
Witbooi, who secured 1 807 votes in the 2020 regional and local authority elections to become the constituency councillor, has been expelled from the party due to a breach of party rules.
Misbehaved
The party accused him of leaking confidential documents on various social media platforms last year, of burning an LPM flag earlier this month, and of harming the party’s reputation through his actions.
“He believes his lies. This is a fantastic example of how delusional people are. He is spreading these lies that I insulted his mother; how can I insult someone I don’t know?” Swartbooi said.
Swartbooi added that several councillors visited Witbooi’s house on 11 February to “talk sense into him,” but Witbooi went “mad” the next day. Despite multiple attempts to obtain comment from Witbooi, he refused on every occasion.
The ex-councillor is currently in Sprinbok on a mission to carry a cross by foot to the Namibian border, about 120 km away.
Nothing new
Swartbooi claims that the councillor has been “troubled” for years, claiming that for the past two years Witbooi has been “uncontrollable and impossible to talk to.”
He claimed Witbooi’s insubordination can be attributed to being hurt by his ouster from the National Council two years ago, saying Witbooi blamed the party for his demise.
“He kept saying the party doesn’t stand up for him and added that his salary was less than what he thought. Witbooi also said he had acquired loans that he now had no means of paying,” Swartbooi said.
Swartbooi added: “Stop working with Swapo and leaking documents. If you wanted to leave the party, you could’ve said so. Elders in Koes and Aroab said that Witbooi is arrogant and rude, so he had to go.”
Landless People’s Movement (LPM) leader Bernadus Swartbooi has spoken out about the events that resulted in the expulsion of Keetmanshoop regional constituency councillor Gerrit Witbooi from the party on Friday.
Witbooi, who secured 1 807 votes in the 2020 regional and local authority elections to become the constituency councillor, has been expelled from the party due to a breach of party rules.
Misbehaved
The party accused him of leaking confidential documents on various social media platforms last year, of burning an LPM flag earlier this month, and of harming the party’s reputation through his actions.
“He believes his lies. This is a fantastic example of how delusional people are. He is spreading these lies that I insulted his mother; how can I insult someone I don’t know?” Swartbooi said.
Swartbooi added that several councillors visited Witbooi’s house on 11 February to “talk sense into him,” but Witbooi went “mad” the next day. Despite multiple attempts to obtain comment from Witbooi, he refused on every occasion.
The ex-councillor is currently in Sprinbok on a mission to carry a cross by foot to the Namibian border, about 120 km away.
Nothing new
Swartbooi claims that the councillor has been “troubled” for years, claiming that for the past two years Witbooi has been “uncontrollable and impossible to talk to.”
He claimed Witbooi’s insubordination can be attributed to being hurt by his ouster from the National Council two years ago, saying Witbooi blamed the party for his demise.
“He kept saying the party doesn’t stand up for him and added that his salary was less than what he thought. Witbooi also said he had acquired loans that he now had no means of paying,” Swartbooi said.
Swartbooi added: “Stop working with Swapo and leaking documents. If you wanted to leave the party, you could’ve said so. Elders in Koes and Aroab said that Witbooi is arrogant and rude, so he had to go.”
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