AR cagey about city council candidates
JEMIMA BEUKES
WINDHOEK
Only its leader Dr Job Amupanda is assured of a seat on the Windhoek City Council if the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) wins some in next month’s local authority election, with the movement tight-lipped on how the rest of the seats, if any, would be filled.
AR yesterday announced its candidates for the Windhoek City Council, among them Amupanda, whose campaign so far has been anchored on the mantra of becoming the mayor of Windhoek.
Other candidates are IIlse Keister, Priscilla Heita, Maitjituavi Stanley Kavetu, Sydney Mutelo, Simon Kanepolo Amunime and Isdor Kamati.
AR co-founders George Kambala, and Dimbulukeni Nauyoma are also candidates for the city, so are Nasunga Hlimie Lukubwe, Nathanael Kalola, Kenneth Namoloh, Abed-nego Shishiveni and Trudy Gertze.
While other political formations have listed their candidates in a particular order, which would then naturally dictate who automatically qualifies for a seat after election results are out, AR elected not to have a particular hierarchy.
“We have no sequence of candidates,” said Amunime, the movement’s recently appointed spokesperson.
“Only a mayoral candidate [Amupanda] and his team. The outcome of the elections will be decided by the AR Windhoek leadership,” he told Namibian Sun.
University of Namibia (Unam) academic Amupanda said his movement has started conversations with political parties and movements for support in the event no one wins an outright majority in the City council next month.
Amupanda said yesterday since the announcement to take over the City of Windhoek as mayor in 2019, AR has reached out and reached a general consensus.
“Of course, there are some antagonistic political parties but as far as we are concerned, we have tested the water and there is a general acceptance of our candidacy for the mayor position,” he said.
Amupanda said AR plans to only contest the city council elections and will instead throw their weight behind young independent candidates in the remaining constituencies of Windhoek.
Mayoral ambitions
Amupanda said his priority as mayor will be to provide housing and to create a city identity and sense of pride instilled in community members.
“Windhoek doesn’t have an identity. You can be here for 20 years and another person comes after two years and there will be no difference between the two. You have advantages, no privileges, you are not part of any initiatives by the leadership,” he said.
AR argues that the City of Windhoek is one of the most corrupt local authorities in Namibia, having dismally failed to address the urban land and housing question.
“It became evident in 2019 that fighting, protecting and supporting the poor through protest actions and the courts is a mere temporary action with limited success in solving the root cause of the problems of landlessness, homelessness, hopelessness, corruption and underdevelopment. A decision was then taken for the AR movement to take over the leadership of the City of Windhoek.”
[email protected]
WINDHOEK
Only its leader Dr Job Amupanda is assured of a seat on the Windhoek City Council if the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) wins some in next month’s local authority election, with the movement tight-lipped on how the rest of the seats, if any, would be filled.
AR yesterday announced its candidates for the Windhoek City Council, among them Amupanda, whose campaign so far has been anchored on the mantra of becoming the mayor of Windhoek.
Other candidates are IIlse Keister, Priscilla Heita, Maitjituavi Stanley Kavetu, Sydney Mutelo, Simon Kanepolo Amunime and Isdor Kamati.
AR co-founders George Kambala, and Dimbulukeni Nauyoma are also candidates for the city, so are Nasunga Hlimie Lukubwe, Nathanael Kalola, Kenneth Namoloh, Abed-nego Shishiveni and Trudy Gertze.
While other political formations have listed their candidates in a particular order, which would then naturally dictate who automatically qualifies for a seat after election results are out, AR elected not to have a particular hierarchy.
“We have no sequence of candidates,” said Amunime, the movement’s recently appointed spokesperson.
“Only a mayoral candidate [Amupanda] and his team. The outcome of the elections will be decided by the AR Windhoek leadership,” he told Namibian Sun.
University of Namibia (Unam) academic Amupanda said his movement has started conversations with political parties and movements for support in the event no one wins an outright majority in the City council next month.
Amupanda said yesterday since the announcement to take over the City of Windhoek as mayor in 2019, AR has reached out and reached a general consensus.
“Of course, there are some antagonistic political parties but as far as we are concerned, we have tested the water and there is a general acceptance of our candidacy for the mayor position,” he said.
Amupanda said AR plans to only contest the city council elections and will instead throw their weight behind young independent candidates in the remaining constituencies of Windhoek.
Mayoral ambitions
Amupanda said his priority as mayor will be to provide housing and to create a city identity and sense of pride instilled in community members.
“Windhoek doesn’t have an identity. You can be here for 20 years and another person comes after two years and there will be no difference between the two. You have advantages, no privileges, you are not part of any initiatives by the leadership,” he said.
AR argues that the City of Windhoek is one of the most corrupt local authorities in Namibia, having dismally failed to address the urban land and housing question.
“It became evident in 2019 that fighting, protecting and supporting the poor through protest actions and the courts is a mere temporary action with limited success in solving the root cause of the problems of landlessness, homelessness, hopelessness, corruption and underdevelopment. A decision was then taken for the AR movement to take over the leadership of the City of Windhoek.”
[email protected]
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