Swapo politburo confronts Oshakati impasse
The Swapo politburo has assembled a committee to investigate, amongst others, the controversial reinstatement of Katrina Shimbulu as councillor at the Oshakati town council as well as the refusal by two other party councillors to continue serving in protest.
The committee, chaired by the safety and security deputy minister Daniel Kashikola, is expected to land in Oshakati today to commence its probe. Other members of the committee are Veikko Nekundi, Modestus Amutse, Elia Irimari and Faustina Caley. The committee was assembled after the politburo met on 29 January to discuss the fallout among the party's political office-bearers of the Oshakati town council.
The Swapo regional leadership has in the meantime been barred from giving any instruction to the town council regarding the swearing-in of party councillors.
The town council finds itself in a quandary as it cannot make certain decisions without the blessing of councillors who no longer meet a quorum because of consistent boycotts.
The boycotts by Swapo councillors started when Swapo's Oshakati East and West district executives ordered that Shimbulu be reinstated as councillor after she had resigned to join Parliament.
This was to comply with Article 47 of the country's constitution, which requires local authority councillors to resign upon accepting nomination for the National Assembly.
With Swapo performing poorly in that election, Shimbulu did not make it to Parliament and immediately made a U-turn by availing herself for reinstatement at the council.
Last Friday, Oshakati town council sent out invitations for the swearing-in of political office-bearers this Monday, but the event was cancelled at 11th hour, with invited guests told to leave the chambers as the meeting would no longer take place.
On 16 December, Oshakati town councillors for Swapo, Onesmus Shilunga and Gabriel Kamwanka, boycotted the council's election of political office-bearers in protest against Shimbulu's nomination.
On 3 February, the Oshakati East and Oshakati West Swapo district executives jointly recalled the two councillors, a decision that was overturned by the Swapo regional leadership two days later.
The town council's legal consultant Jan Greyling has also penned a damning opinion on the nomination and swearing-in of Shimbulu as a councillor, and her subsequent nomination and election as a management committee office-bearer, which he said was illegal and should never have taken place.
ILENI NANDJATO
The committee, chaired by the safety and security deputy minister Daniel Kashikola, is expected to land in Oshakati today to commence its probe. Other members of the committee are Veikko Nekundi, Modestus Amutse, Elia Irimari and Faustina Caley. The committee was assembled after the politburo met on 29 January to discuss the fallout among the party's political office-bearers of the Oshakati town council.
The Swapo regional leadership has in the meantime been barred from giving any instruction to the town council regarding the swearing-in of party councillors.
The town council finds itself in a quandary as it cannot make certain decisions without the blessing of councillors who no longer meet a quorum because of consistent boycotts.
The boycotts by Swapo councillors started when Swapo's Oshakati East and West district executives ordered that Shimbulu be reinstated as councillor after she had resigned to join Parliament.
This was to comply with Article 47 of the country's constitution, which requires local authority councillors to resign upon accepting nomination for the National Assembly.
With Swapo performing poorly in that election, Shimbulu did not make it to Parliament and immediately made a U-turn by availing herself for reinstatement at the council.
Last Friday, Oshakati town council sent out invitations for the swearing-in of political office-bearers this Monday, but the event was cancelled at 11th hour, with invited guests told to leave the chambers as the meeting would no longer take place.
On 16 December, Oshakati town councillors for Swapo, Onesmus Shilunga and Gabriel Kamwanka, boycotted the council's election of political office-bearers in protest against Shimbulu's nomination.
On 3 February, the Oshakati East and Oshakati West Swapo district executives jointly recalled the two councillors, a decision that was overturned by the Swapo regional leadership two days later.
The town council's legal consultant Jan Greyling has also penned a damning opinion on the nomination and swearing-in of Shimbulu as a councillor, and her subsequent nomination and election as a management committee office-bearer, which he said was illegal and should never have taken place.
ILENI NANDJATO
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