Omuthiya fracas embarrassing – Ya Ndakolo

ELIASER NDEYANALE and HILENI NEMBWAYA OSHIKOTO governor Penda ya Ndakolo says a commotion which erupted at a Swapo regional conference at Omuthiya on Saturday was an embarrassment to the party.

The conference, which was convened to elect a new leadership for Omuthiya district broke into chaos after former Omuthiya constituency councillor Armas Amukoto was barred from contesting the district coordinator’s position because he allegedly supported independent candidate Panduleni Itula in last year’s presidential election.

Despite the commotion, the conference managed to elect new district leaders with Hilia Nghipundjwa emerging as new district coordinator, Samuel Shikongo as district information and mobilisation secretary while Joseph Kankungha retained his position as district treasurer.

In a video clip shared on social media on Saturday, Amukoto is seen engaging in a heated argument with Oshikoto regional coordinator Armas Amukwiyu over his exclusion from the contest.

Amukoto had also written to Amukwiyu earlier last week about his exclusion and copied the letter to Swapo secretary general Sophia Shaningwa.

Ya Ndakolo condemned the chaotic behaviour of both Amukwiyu and Amukoto.

He said he was not going to sit back and watch the party’s leadership in the region deteriorate into chaos over “silly personal attacks”.

“What happened on Saturday was shameful and I am not going to tolerate such chaotic behaviour in my region for as long as I am the governor. It is embarrassing. If they have personal issues, they should find other means to solve their issues instead of fighting in front of the party. They should learn how to behave in public,” he said.

He added that: “I want all people irrespective of their party differences and ethnic groups to unite and do away with clique and political party groupings”.

Ya Ndakolo attended the meeting in his capacity as governor.

Amukoto told The Namibian yesterday that the confrontation between him and Amukwiyu resulted from Amukwiyu’s instistence to proceed with the conference without presenting the district’s financial report and from changing the conference’s agenda without the knowledge of the delegates.

“I was supposed to attend the conference as a delegate and a candidate at the same time, however, a few days before the congress, I saw a document circulating on social media stating that I was nullified (sic) to contest for the position of district coordinator because I supported Itula,” he said.

He further stated that he was not officially informed that he had been disqualified, hence his presence at the conference.

“I was then summoned to a private meeting with my brother Moses by Amukwiyu, Ya Ndakolo and some party members under the watchful eye of armed police officers. In there, we were informed that we are banned from attending the conference due to being staunch supporters of Itula’s elective campaign,” he said.

He allegedly stormed out of the meeting and went ahead to attend the conference.

“I tried to question Amukwiyu about the district’s financial statement. That is when the confrontation occurred between us,” he said.

Amukoto admitted that he supported Itula’s presidential candidature last year.

“Yes, it is true that I was supporting Itula last year and that was before he was removed from the party and I am not the only one even – Amukwiyu and other Swapo Party members were supporting Itula behind closed doors, so I do not understand why they are victimising me and my brother only,” he said.

“I am angry because they denied me my rights to participate in the elections whereby I was rightfully elected by my district members.

“I am still a Swapo member and no clause in the party’s constitution prohibits one from contesting party elections because they supported an independent candidate,” he said.

Amukoto added that he has been victimised by Ya Ndakolo and Amukwiyu for far too long hence he plans to institute further action against the two.

“If there is any injustice done to me, I plan to take some action against the two because this is not the first time they are victimising me.

“I am tired and I am not going to leave a stone unturned against the two. They have provoked me,” said Amukoto.

Efforts to get comment from Amukwiyu proved futile and calls to Shaningwa went unanswered.