Africa-Press – Namibia. SWAKOPMUND councillor Ciske Smith-Howard has been booted out of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) for allegedly circulating a WhatsApp message saying, “I am done with IPC”.
“Leaders. Let it be known… I am done with IPC. This party is NOT the party with thought (sic) it was. Think very carefully about your position here. It’s ruled by spineless leaders,” reads the WhatsApp message that sealed Smith-Howard’s fate.
IPC decided to excommunicat Smith-Howard from the party on Monday after clashes with her on various occasions in the past.
Her dismissal was formally delivered in a letter from IPC national general secretary Christine !Aochamus.
“You are hereby informed that your membership of IPC has been terminated with immediate effect, from receipt of this letter as notified electronically on my electronic device and/or otherwise. Please take note that you are no longer a member of the Independent Patriots for Change,” reads the expulsion letter signed by !Aochamus.
Smith-Howard confirmed her expulsion from IPC to The Namibian yesterday.
“Yes…indeed it’s true,” she said.
The letter also claims that Smith-Howard allegedly ignored the instruction by the party’s arbitration committee sent to her on 3 May in which she was requested to “…show cause…”.
Smith-Howard was told to resign from her position as Swakopmund constituency councillor or face expulsion from the party.
The beleaguered former councillor ignored the option to resign, resulting in her unceremonious expulsion.
“As such and which decision was communicated to you, you opted instead implicitly that the IPC institute the latter part of that decision having declined the former. The steering committee of the IPC upon your email of 12 May 2022, in the light of your refusal to relinquish your position in the Erongo Regional Council on the authority of IPC, resolved to institute the latter part of the recommendation of the arbitration committee,” said !Aochamus.
!Aochamus further explained that IPC, its members or functionaries no longer have any obligations whatsoever to Smith-Howard.
Smith-Howard was asked to surrender IPC property, including her membership card.
Previously, IPC attempted to remove Smith-Howard on several occasions.
This led to her being restrained for close to four months. This action was found unlawful by attorney general Festus Mbadeka.
At the same time, the party instituted an investigation into Smith-Howard’s residency, whose findings were announced by the party president Panduleni Itula at a meeting at Swakopmund last year.
“There is no doubt that patriot Ciske [Smith-]Howard is not a resident of the Swakopmund constituency,” said Itula.
The last attempt came in the form of a vote of no confidence in her by IPC councillor for Walvis Bay rural constituency Florian Donatus and Swapo’s Omaruru constituency councillor Ernest Wetha.
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
