SPYL fight gets vicious
The battle for the SPYL soul is far from over, almost a year after a court ruled in favour of youth leaders Elijah Ngurare and Job Amupanda.
The fight for control of the Swapo Party Youth League is about to get uglier, following developments over the weekend that saw youth leader Elijah Ngurare notifying regional structures and SPYL members that he has resumed his duties as the league's secretary.
This, he says, will result in him chairing the national executive committee, central committee and the upcoming congress of the youth league, which will precede the elective congress of the mother body.
Ngurare, whose two letters, were distributed widely on social media at the weekend, also gave acting SPYL secretary Veikko Nekundi until this Saturday to hand over the office keys of the SPYL office. “By now you have seen and read my notification dated 20 April 2017, and I am mindful that the constitutional quagmire, that SPYL has found itself in over the past two years since our illegal expulsion, cannot be blamed on you entirely,” Ngurare wrote to Nekundi, instructing him to include congress resolutions of the Swapo Party Pioneers Movement and that of the 2012 SPYL congress to the agenda for Saturday's central committee meeting. “Finally in reference to my 20 April 2017 note, I should like to meet you at the SPYL national headquarters before 29 April 2017 so that you can hand over the office keys. Thank you for your assistance to the office during my absence.”
Leadership tussle
The SPYL now faces a leadership tussle in the coming days, underlining many of the divisions within the ruling party, especially ahead of its November 2017 much-anticipated congress.
Nekundi yesterday declined to comment on the latest developments, saying he would talk on the issue today. Swapo secretary-Nangolo Mbumba emphatically denounced Ngurare's behaviour, labelling him provocateur. “What Ngurare is doing now is to try and confuse and harass the youth. I am just urging the youth to stand strong and not listen to him. He was given a chance to lead the youth, but he spoiled it himself by not following the party rules,” said Mbumba.
“If he wants to lead them again, he must start over again and start behaving. Ngurare is not going to do anything and he will not come back to the office. He is just trying to provoke.”
Not giving up
Ngurare told Namibian Sun yesterday that he was not seeking any permission from the youth league to be reinstated, but was mainly informing members of his decision and action, arguing that the 23 April 2016 court ruling by after Acting Judge Collins Parker was clear on their reinstatement. Ngurare, along with then SPYL spokesman Job Amupanda as well as youth leaders George Kambala and Ndimbulukweni Nauyoma were expelled from the ruling party in July 2015 for their involvement in the Affirmative Repositioning Movement affairs, who presented various land demands to the authorities. The four took the ruling party to court, claiming that it did not follow the correct disciplinary procedures before dismissing them. They were reinstated on 23 April 2016 after Parker found that the party circumvented its own constitution and disciplinary code when it expelled the four. Swapo was also ordered to pay 60% of the four's legal costs and reinstate them as fully-fledged Swapo members. Ngurare argued yesterday that there was a natural expectation that the party would adhere to the court ruling. “The court will not give order as to what the party must do. It is an irrelevant discussion whether the court ruled that we must be reinstated back into our positions or just in the party. We were waiting for them to do their part and get us back into our position by themselves, but they failed. We are now doing a constitutional right to get my position back,” he said. “The court said those whose positions were already filled during the suspension, like for Kambala and Nauyoma, who were serving at district level, must be reinstated as ordinary members. But for Job and I who were elected by the congress were to be reinstated back into our positions.”
Guidance
The outspoken Ngurare, who is not eligible to stand as SPYL secretary at the next congress, added that the purpose of his communication was to guide and unite the divided youth ahead of the SPYL elective congress billed for August. “My intention is not to leave my Unam job and go hold the secretary position, but I just don't want to be selfish that I am having a Unam job so I must not do anything for the benefit of the future generation. Politburo has no say on SPYL matters. We were elected by the SPYL congress to lead them, but not by politburo. We are working toward the constitution to prepare the future generation. Our leaders must put constitution first before their emotion. Job and I will attend the August elective congress.”
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This, he says, will result in him chairing the national executive committee, central committee and the upcoming congress of the youth league, which will precede the elective congress of the mother body.
Ngurare, whose two letters, were distributed widely on social media at the weekend, also gave acting SPYL secretary Veikko Nekundi until this Saturday to hand over the office keys of the SPYL office. “By now you have seen and read my notification dated 20 April 2017, and I am mindful that the constitutional quagmire, that SPYL has found itself in over the past two years since our illegal expulsion, cannot be blamed on you entirely,” Ngurare wrote to Nekundi, instructing him to include congress resolutions of the Swapo Party Pioneers Movement and that of the 2012 SPYL congress to the agenda for Saturday's central committee meeting. “Finally in reference to my 20 April 2017 note, I should like to meet you at the SPYL national headquarters before 29 April 2017 so that you can hand over the office keys. Thank you for your assistance to the office during my absence.”
Leadership tussle
The SPYL now faces a leadership tussle in the coming days, underlining many of the divisions within the ruling party, especially ahead of its November 2017 much-anticipated congress.
Nekundi yesterday declined to comment on the latest developments, saying he would talk on the issue today. Swapo secretary-Nangolo Mbumba emphatically denounced Ngurare's behaviour, labelling him provocateur. “What Ngurare is doing now is to try and confuse and harass the youth. I am just urging the youth to stand strong and not listen to him. He was given a chance to lead the youth, but he spoiled it himself by not following the party rules,” said Mbumba.
“If he wants to lead them again, he must start over again and start behaving. Ngurare is not going to do anything and he will not come back to the office. He is just trying to provoke.”
Not giving up
Ngurare told Namibian Sun yesterday that he was not seeking any permission from the youth league to be reinstated, but was mainly informing members of his decision and action, arguing that the 23 April 2016 court ruling by after Acting Judge Collins Parker was clear on their reinstatement. Ngurare, along with then SPYL spokesman Job Amupanda as well as youth leaders George Kambala and Ndimbulukweni Nauyoma were expelled from the ruling party in July 2015 for their involvement in the Affirmative Repositioning Movement affairs, who presented various land demands to the authorities. The four took the ruling party to court, claiming that it did not follow the correct disciplinary procedures before dismissing them. They were reinstated on 23 April 2016 after Parker found that the party circumvented its own constitution and disciplinary code when it expelled the four. Swapo was also ordered to pay 60% of the four's legal costs and reinstate them as fully-fledged Swapo members. Ngurare argued yesterday that there was a natural expectation that the party would adhere to the court ruling. “The court will not give order as to what the party must do. It is an irrelevant discussion whether the court ruled that we must be reinstated back into our positions or just in the party. We were waiting for them to do their part and get us back into our position by themselves, but they failed. We are now doing a constitutional right to get my position back,” he said. “The court said those whose positions were already filled during the suspension, like for Kambala and Nauyoma, who were serving at district level, must be reinstated as ordinary members. But for Job and I who were elected by the congress were to be reinstated back into our positions.”
Guidance
The outspoken Ngurare, who is not eligible to stand as SPYL secretary at the next congress, added that the purpose of his communication was to guide and unite the divided youth ahead of the SPYL elective congress billed for August. “My intention is not to leave my Unam job and go hold the secretary position, but I just don't want to be selfish that I am having a Unam job so I must not do anything for the benefit of the future generation. Politburo has no say on SPYL matters. We were elected by the SPYL congress to lead them, but not by politburo. We are working toward the constitution to prepare the future generation. Our leaders must put constitution first before their emotion. Job and I will attend the August elective congress.”
STAFF REPORTERS
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