Africa-Press – Namibia. INDEPENDENT Patriots for Change (IPC) councillors who were booted from the City of Windhoek management committee this week say accusations of incompetence and misconduct levelled against them are unsubstantiated.
INDEPENDENT Patriots for Change (IPC) councillors who were booted from the City of Windhoek management committee this week say accusations of incompetence and misconduct levelled against them are unsubstantiated.
The IPC previously held four of five positions on the management committee.
IPC councillor Jürgen Hecht, who is a former management committee member, said the motion of no confidence brought against them failed to prove specific allegations.
“To me, the allegations could not be substantiated. They all depended on hearsay and there was no concrete evidence,” Hecht said.
From dominating in the previous management committee, the IPC has been entirely left out of the new management structure elected on Tuesday.
“It was a very clear attack against us. There was a lot of emotion against us and a huge political will to push us out,” Hecht said.
While the IPC is not satisfied with the outcome of the meeting, they respect democracy and accept the outcome, Hecht said.
“We obey the law, we obey democracy. We are going to remain ordinary councillors. We may no longer be part of the management committee and we respect that decision,” he said.
Attempts to get comment from the new chairperson of the municipality’s management committee, Ilse Keister from Affirmative Repositioning (AR), were futile.
Keister brought forth the vote of no confidence motion.
She chairs the new committee consisting of: Austin Kwenani (Swapo) Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma (Swapo), Clemencia Hanases (PDM), and Ivan Skrywer (LPM)
Hecht said the councillors have a “hell more” to prove and should be given room to do so.
Windhoek councillor Fransina Kahungu hopes the new management committee will implement all council resolutions aimed at improving the lives of residents.
This includes the provision of land to residents of informal settlements, extending communal water pipelines and providing electricity specifically in Babylon, Kilimanjaro, Otjomuise and Okahandja Park A, B and C.
“I hope the current management committee members will fast-track those ones because those are low-hanging fruit,” Kahungu said.
On the appointment of the CEO, Kahungu cautioned the management committee against targeting a specific individual for appointment.
“When we started the recruitment process in 2020, you could clearly see the previous management committee wanted to satisfy individual personnel. It is a risky business if you target one person for the position,” Kahungu said.
‘INFIGHTING NEGLECTS SERVICE DELIVERY’
Political analyst Rui Tyitende expects fierce resistance from the IPC councillors, who may opt to pursue a path of revenge politics.
“We should expect this kind of bickering to continue for as long as no political party has an overwhelming majority,” he said.
Coalitions formed on the basis of defeating a common enemy seldom succeed, as the overall agenda is to dislodge a ‘powerful and corrupt enemy’, he said.
“It does not extend to common interests or a common ideological outlook in terms of policy and programmes. Hence, service delivery is placed on the back burner,” Tyitende said.
The hiccups and turmoil which have marred the political administration of the municipality are undermining the credibility of local governance and all parties involved, said political analyst Henning Melber. Melber said infighting fuels voter disappointment in those elected to serve the interests of the people who supported them at the ballot box.
“The municipality has turned into a playground of egocentric individuals, whose personal behaviour borders on megalomania. “What is needed is a team of players who realise that serving the people serves themselves best.”
Melber said the new management committee faces an uphill battle to regain some confidence and trust, after all the spilled beans.
SWAPO SNUCK IN
Tyitende said if the new management committee succeeds, Swapo may claim responsibility for rescuing a dysfunctional city council as the basis for the electorate granting them the full mandate to govern in the 2024 elections.
Swapo is the only party to hold more than one position in the five-member committee.
“The people might argue that a faction of the ‘progressive forces’ have brought Swapo into key decision making structures of the council through the back door,” Tyitende said.
Melber concurs, saying the situation certainly benefited Swapo.
“The irony is that this is due to the failure of others and not on their own merits. But the proof is in eating the pudding: they now have to show that they deliver. This is an unexpected and maybe even undeserved window of opportunity (for Swapo) for which only the other parties bear the blame,” Melber said.
The IPC previously held four of five positions on the management committee.
IPC councillor Jürgen Hecht, who is a former management committee member, said the motion of no confidence brought against them failed to prove specific allegations.
“To me, the allegations could not be substantiated. They all depended on hearsay and there was no concrete evidence,” Hecht said.
From dominating in the previous management committee, the IPC has been entirely left out of the new management structure elected on Tuesday.
“It was a very clear attack against us. There was a lot of emotion against us and a huge political will to push us out,” Hecht said.
While the IPC is not satisfied with the outcome of the meeting, they respect democracy and accept the outcome, Hecht said.
“We obey the law, we obey democracy. We are going to remain ordinary councillors. We may no longer be part of the management committee and we respect that decision,” he said.
Attempts to get comment from the new chairperson of the municipality’s management committee, Ilse Keister from Affirmative Repositioning (AR), were futile.
Keister brought forth the vote of no confidence motion.
She chairs the new committee consisting of: Austin Kwenani (Swapo) Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma (Swapo), Clemencia Hanases (PDM), and Ivan Skrywer (LPM)
Hecht said the councillors have a “hell more” to prove and should be given room to do so.
Windhoek councillor Fransina Kahungu hopes the new management committee will implement all council resolutions aimed at improving the lives of residents.
This includes the provision of land to residents of informal settlements, extending communal water pipelines and providing electricity specifically in Babylon, Kilimanjaro, Otjomuise and Okahandja Park A, B and C.
“I hope the current management committee members will fast-track those ones because those are low-hanging fruit,” Kahungu said.
On the appointment of the CEO, Kahungu cautioned the management committee against targeting a specific individual for appointment.
“When we started the recruitment process in 2020, you could clearly see the previous management committee wanted to satisfy individual personnel. It is a risky business if you target one person for the position,” Kahungu said.
‘INFIGHTING NEGLECTS SERVICE DELIVERY’
Political analyst Rui Tyitende expects fierce resistance from the IPC councillors, who may opt to pursue a path of revenge politics.
“We should expect this kind of bickering to continue for as long as no political party has an overwhelming majority,” he said.
Coalitions formed on the basis of defeating a common enemy seldom succeed, as the overall agenda is to dislodge a ‘powerful and corrupt enemy’, he said.
“It does not extend to common interests or a common ideological outlook in terms of policy and programmes. Hence, service delivery is placed on the back burner,” Tyitende said.
The hiccups and turmoil which have marred the political administration of the municipality are undermining the credibility of local governance and all parties involved, said political analyst Henning Melber. Melber said infighting fuels voter disappointment in those elected to serve the interests of the people who supported them at the ballot box.
“The municipality has turned into a playground of egocentric individuals, whose personal behaviour borders on megalomania. “What is needed is a team of players who realise that serving the people serves themselves best.”
Melber said the new management committee faces an uphill battle to regain some confidence and trust, after all the spilled beans.
SWAPO SNUCK IN
Tyitende said if the new management committee succeeds, Swapo may claim responsibility for rescuing a dysfunctional city council as the basis for the electorate granting them the full mandate to govern in the 2024 elections.
Swapo is the only party to hold more than one position in the five-member committee.
“The people might argue that a faction of the ‘progressive forces’ have brought Swapo into key decision making structures of the council through the back door,” Tyitende said.
Melber concurs, saying the situation certainly benefited Swapo.
“The irony is that this is due to the failure of others and not on their own merits. But the proof is in eating the pudding: they now have to show that they deliver. This is an unexpected and maybe even undeserved window of opportunity (for Swapo) for which only the other parties bear the blame,” Melber said.
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