Mbumba engages SPYL

SWAPO party secretary general Nangolo Mbumba has initiated dialogue with the youth league national executive committee.

Mbumba’s move comes three weeks after the ruling party expelled youth league secretary Elijah Ngurare. The SPYL NEC in turn suspended deputy secretary Veikko Nekundi.

Since then Nekundi, who has been at odds with his NEC comrades, has insisted that he had not been suspended and the NEC’s actions were unconstitutional and that he was the acting leader of the SPYL pending a central committee meeting to legitimise his new role.

The NEC decided to appoint the SPYL international relations secretary Eddy Kafita the acting secretary and that the NEC will call for a CC meeting, disputing that Nekundi had the right to call a CC meeting.

Nekundi attempted to organise a CC meeting which never materialised. Media reports stated that the meeting was called off because a large number of members boycotted the meeting in solidarity with the rest of the NEC members.

Another theory was that the Swapo Politburo ordered Nekundi to cancel the meeting. Nekundi was quoted in the media as saying he wanted the dust over the stand-off between him and the SPYL NEC to settle so that things can proceed smoothly. Sources said Nekundi was going to push for the NEC to disband and be replaced.

Mbumba confirmed yesterday that a meeting was being organised for today and that the youth league NEC has been invited for talks with the party secretariat.

“We are not telling them what they should do. It is not interference, the aim is dialogue,” Mbumba said.

Acting SPYL secarety Kafita yesterday also confirmed the meeting but said he was abroad and would not be attending. Kafita added that Nekundi is suspended and should not be allowed to attend the meeting unless Mbumba says so.

Nekundi, who also claims to be acting SPYL secretary, said he was on his way to Windhoek and will find the invitation once he arrives.

Mbumba said the party is not going to dictate to the SPYL who should attend the meeting, but he would prefer to have the whole NEC present.

Meanwhile, the four expelled SPYL leaders, Ngurare, George Kambala, Dimbulukweni Nauyoma and Job Amupanda, have decided to take Swapo to court over what they term an unfair expulsion from the party and that procedures were not followed.