Africa-Press – Namibia. CHAOS erupted during the election of the Okahandja municipality councillors yesterday afternoon, resulting in some council members not being sworn-in.
At least three councillors boycotted the swearing-in ceremony held on Tuesday at the garden town. This includes former Okahandja mayor Natasha Brinkman, Okahandja Rate Payers Association (ORPA) councillor Charl Coetzee, and Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) councillor Akser Aupindi.
Brinkman confirmed today that she did not attend the ceremony. “We are not satisfied with how the procedures were done,” Brinkman said. Coetzee said that only the magistrate, as the presiding officer, may change the venue of the ceremony.
Coetzee also added that the change was unconstitutional because consent was not obtained from the councillors. A video that is circulating shows a heated moment among the councillors following the announcement, some of whom claimed that the venue change is unnecessary and unfair.
However, others did not see the fuss and suggested that they all move on to the new venue to reconvene the ceremony. According to Swapo councillor Beatrix Kotungondo, outgoing mayor Natasha Brinkman also claimed disrespect because the magistrate’s assistant was not introduced to them.
Kotungondo told The Namibian that three councillors failed to attend the meeting as “they tried to jeopardise the event from the onset”. She added that the chief executive officer Alfons Tjitombo tried to reach the three councillors via phone call but failed. He also added that he was confused and did not welcome the presence of the governor who was in attendance.
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