Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Windhoek council will hold another special council meeting to complete the elections, as the deadline is looming, the city’s spokesperson Harold Akwenye confirmed on Saturday.
This is their fourth attempt to elect two more members to the management committee.
“It is to select the additional two [members],” Akwenye told The Namibian.
The minister of urban and rural development Erastus Uutoni gave councillors until 3 March to resolve the leadership crisis at the municipality.
The minister gave an ultimatum after representatives of political parties on the council once again failed to elect two additional members to the management committee.
In the previous meeting only four councillors pitched up, which led to magistrate Alweendo Venatius adjourning the meeting 10 minutes after the session started.
Those who did not attend included deputy mayor Magdalena Pienaar-Lombardt, Sam Nujoma of Swapo and two out of four councillors from Independent Patriots for Change (IPC).
No councillor from the Landless People’s Movement, Affirmative Repositioning and Popular Democratic Movement showed up after they split from the current council, claiming the ruling party has “absolute power”. They have dubbed themselves the ‘G5’ group.
Currently, the city’s management committee only has three members from Swapo – Nujoma, Queen Kamati and Austin Kwenani.
This is what the G5 does not want.
Meanwhile, IPC spokesperson Immanuel Nashinge two weeks ago said they have tried to remedy the situation by writing to all principles of political parties represented in the city council.
“None of the political parties have the courtesy to respond. In fact, they called us opportunists and some have vowed to never work with IPC,” he said.
Nashinge said IPC is still open to reaching consensus.
During the second special meeting called in January, magistrate Jozaane Klazen declared the last man standing, National Unity Democratic Organisation councillor Joseph Uapingene, the city’s new mayor.
Swapo’s Pienaar-Lombardt was declared the deputy mayor.
To date, the council has not held any council meeting to discuss the municipality’s matters. This means the municipality is also unable to sell land to Windhoek residents because council approval is needed.
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