Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Republican Party (RP) and Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) coalition at Henties Bay fell apart yesterday during the election of office-bearers at the town.
RP councillor and mayor of the town Lewies Vermaak yesterday confirmed that his party is no longer willing to work with councillor Siefried //Garoeb, who allegedly has a criminal record.
//Garoëb was in 2018 dismissed from the Henties Bay municipality where he was employed as assistant credit controller for allegedly swindling council funds.
The IPC was alerted to the matter by its Swakopmund constituency councillor Ciske Smith-Howard. The party president questioned her method of obtaining the information, which has led to her subsequent restraint earlier this month.
The RP has now chosen Swapo and the United Democratic Front (UDF) to side with. “I found out this week he was also involved in a housebreaking incident, and there is a High Court case.
“The housebreaking case is still ongoing. That is where we drew the line and said I cannot work with the IPC any more if they cannot remove this guy from the council. I’m sorry, I cannot put my party at risk,” Vermaak said yesterday.
RP president Henk Mudge confirmed that he has conveyed his party’s stance to IPC president Panduleni Itula. He said his party is willing to work with any party that has the well-being of the nation at heart.
“We are happy that they are happy to keep the mayor for him to do his job.
“As long as they are happy with that, and prepared to work with the mayor. We are prepared to work with anybody as long as they want to serve the interest of the people of the town,” Mudge said.
IPC spokesperson Imms Nashinge referred questions to the party’s leadership in the Erongo region. IPC Erongo regional chairperson Aloisius Kangulu said the party is not aware of any ongoing court case involving their councillor.
Kangulu said the party is only aware of a suspected case of housebreaking in 2011/12, which was struck from the court roll in 2016. This, according to Kangulu, does not warrant the party to recall the councillor.
“If they can prove there is an ongoing court case, and if they can also make it clear that the IPC does not want to remove the councillor because of whatsoever case. We believe in the rule of law, and not the law of individualism,” he said.
Vermaak was yesterday re-elected as mayor, with Swapo’s Renier Kandari as deputy mayor. Paulus Imbamba is now the chairperson of the management committee, with Michael Skini of the UDF and Peet Swart of the RP as management committee members.
Memrod Haraseb of the Popular Democratic Movement was sidelined for allegedly attempting to oust the mayor from his position. //Garoëb, who was a member of the management committee, is now an ordinary council member.
Swapo Erongo regional coordinator Daniel Muhuura yesterday said the party has not formed a coalition with opposition parties, but rather an arrangement.
“The RP realised the opposition is not able to run the affairs of the local authority alone, therefore they requested Swapo to enter an arrangement to execute the affairs of the local authority together,” he said.
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