Convicted Swapo members eye parliamentary seats

FORMER education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa and former Namibia Wildlife Resorts managing director Tobie Aupindi are among those running for places on the Swapo Party’s parliamentary list.

Both Hanse-Himarwa and Aupindi were convicted of corruption, and got fined for their crimes.

The former was fined N$50 000 or six months in prison by the High Court in August after she was found guilty of corruptly using her office or position as former governor of the Hardap region to obtain gratification for herself or another person.

Aupidi was also fined N$50 000 or 30 months in prison after he was found guilty in a case involving the installation of a swimming pool at his house in Windhoek in 2006, which was paid for by businessman Antonio di Savino.

Aupindi was charged with corruptly providing false information to an officer of the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Although Hanse-Himarwa resigned from her ministerial position after she was found guilty on corruption charges, she still remains a member of the National Assembly.

Recently, Hanse-Himar­wa and Aupindi released posters campaigning to be elected as candidates for the Swapo Party’s 96- member parliamentary list. The ruling party will hold its electoral college from 6 to 8 September.

An electoral college is an internal election conducted by all political parties participating in the National Assembly elections to choose 96 members who will contest for seats in the National Assembly.

About 244 delegates drawn from the party’s central committee, 14 regions, youth, and the women and elders’ wings will take part in the elections.

Swapo affiliate, the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW), will also send representatives to the ‘pot’, as the party’s electoral college is affectionately known.

All central committee members and current Swapo members of parliament are automatic candidates to the ‘pot’.

The central committee – an 84-member structure – is Swapo’s highest decision-making body in-between congresses. Swapo won 77 National Assembly seats in 2014.

University of Namibia’s constitutional law lecturer, Nico Horn said in an interview with that the country’s Constitution was very clear on who should go to parliament.

The Constitution does not allow people who have been convicted and sent to prison for a period of 12 months or more to be members of the National Assembly.

Horn was, however, baffled that the ruling party’s constitution is silent on how to deal with convicted members.

He said the fact that the two were allowed to contest for positions shows that there was nothing from the party preventing them from running.

“That seems to be the Swapo position. The law is there to prevent those who are looked at as not worthy of holding public office. What Swapo is telling us is that they are happy with what the Constitution allows. Swapo’s constitution is also silent on that,” he said.

Swapo party youth league secretary Ephraim Nekongo refused to comment on Aupindi and Hanse-Himarwa’s aspirations.

He said the party’s constitution was very clear “on some of these things”. Nekongo – who is also a candidate to the pot – however, noted that he will only be supporting young people at the elections as they look to fulfil the 40% quota of young people to go to parliament.

He said this year, the youth were fairly represented at the ‘pot’, as opposed to previous campaigns.

“We are advocating that young people get through. That is all we are saying. We do not want to talk about individuals here. I think our rules and orders are very clear on that one. If there is anything prohibiting them, they would not have stood,” he added.