Court to decide on RDP leadership fate
Jeremiah Nambinga remains the RDP's president pending a High Court ruling in March 2018.
The High Court will only pronounce itself in March next year on the leadership battle pitting senior Rally for Democracy and Progress leaders against party president Jeremiah Nambinga.
This week Judge Shafimana Ueitele extended the interim ruling blocking the RDP national executive from holding a meeting where it was expected to confirm a vote of no confidence passed against Nambinga.
A few months ago, RDP vice-president Steve Bezuidenhout announced that the party had decided to recall Nambinga, who turned to the court to challenge the decision.
“Nambinga still remains the president of RDP. He is still the chairperson of the central committee as well as that of the national executive committee of the party. No meeting of these organs can be convened without his involvement,” Judge Ueitele emphasised.
Last month, the court temporarily declared the national executive committee's vote of no confidence null and void.
The meeting of the 72-member RDP central committee, which was scheduled from 3 to 5 November, was prevented from proceeding.
“There is no way I will ignore the lawfulness of the decision,” Ueitele informed lawyer Uananiva Hengari, appearing for the RDP on instruction of Tobie Louw.
Nambinga was not invited to attend the meeting in his capacity as either the chairperson of the national executive committee or as party president.
Hengari tried to argue that the motion of no confidence was approved by 12 members of the NEC, and that the motion was supposed to be discussed at the central committee meeting this past weekend.
The judge said the central committee of the RDP cannot debate the motion without it being taken through the disciplinary process.
“That is the bottom line. There is no way I can ignore the lawfulness of the matter because what is being questioned is the lawfulness of the decision,” Ueitele said.
Advocate Gerson /Narib, instructed by Loini Shikale, argued that there were sufficient grounds for the interim order to be confirmed as a final court order.
He maintained that the decision of the executive committee to adopt a vote of no confidence in his client was unlawful and that such decision cannot be discussed until the Discipline and Auditing Commission has had an opportunity to look into the grievances and make a recommendation to the central committee.
As such, he argued, the planned central committee meeting must be set aside.
FRED GOEIEMAN
This week Judge Shafimana Ueitele extended the interim ruling blocking the RDP national executive from holding a meeting where it was expected to confirm a vote of no confidence passed against Nambinga.
A few months ago, RDP vice-president Steve Bezuidenhout announced that the party had decided to recall Nambinga, who turned to the court to challenge the decision.
“Nambinga still remains the president of RDP. He is still the chairperson of the central committee as well as that of the national executive committee of the party. No meeting of these organs can be convened without his involvement,” Judge Ueitele emphasised.
Last month, the court temporarily declared the national executive committee's vote of no confidence null and void.
The meeting of the 72-member RDP central committee, which was scheduled from 3 to 5 November, was prevented from proceeding.
“There is no way I will ignore the lawfulness of the decision,” Ueitele informed lawyer Uananiva Hengari, appearing for the RDP on instruction of Tobie Louw.
Nambinga was not invited to attend the meeting in his capacity as either the chairperson of the national executive committee or as party president.
Hengari tried to argue that the motion of no confidence was approved by 12 members of the NEC, and that the motion was supposed to be discussed at the central committee meeting this past weekend.
The judge said the central committee of the RDP cannot debate the motion without it being taken through the disciplinary process.
“That is the bottom line. There is no way I can ignore the lawfulness of the matter because what is being questioned is the lawfulness of the decision,” Ueitele said.
Advocate Gerson /Narib, instructed by Loini Shikale, argued that there were sufficient grounds for the interim order to be confirmed as a final court order.
He maintained that the decision of the executive committee to adopt a vote of no confidence in his client was unlawful and that such decision cannot be discussed until the Discipline and Auditing Commission has had an opportunity to look into the grievances and make a recommendation to the central committee.
As such, he argued, the planned central committee meeting must be set aside.
FRED GOEIEMAN
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