Election row in north east

A total of 10 out of the 12 North East First Division (NEFD) clubs urgently want a change of leadership before the Namibia Football Association (NFA) holds its elective congress next month.

The clubs petitioned the NFA last week, requesting the national football umbrella body to commission elections, following a “deadlock” between the second-tier league’s members and its hierarchy at a consultative meeting on 7 October at Rundu.

“The NEFD elective annual general meeting is earmarked to be conducted either on Saturday, 4 November, or 11 November 2023 to allow for the NEFD’s eligibility to be in good standing with the NFA in the upcoming congress [on 15 November],” the clubs stated.

They are Rundu Chiefs, Ntunguru, KK United, Oshikango Chiefs, Further Fighters, United Stars, Black Hawks, Omuthiya United, Kangweru Black Tops and Eastern Chiefs.

Cuca Tops and Chief Santos are undecided on the matter.

In the letter to NFA secretary general Jochen Traut, the clubs claim that “the current NEFD executive committee has failed to run the affairs of football properly”.

Additionally, they claim chairperson Rudolf Mupiri and most of his executive have “not shown interest” in the activities of the league for the last four years.

Also, several members of the executive organ are “totally excluded deliberately by the chairperson from participation in the executive committee’s affairs”, and the executive members do not meet “to update one another on current developments or make joint decisions”, the clubs stated.

Mupiri is also accused of keeping the rest of the league’s “frustrated and disappointed” members in the dark pertaining to information from the NFA.

“. . . the chairperson attended meetings that were called by the NC-NFA for all associate members in Windhoek, and shared no feedback to club members or to the executive members,” the clubs said in their petition to Traut.

Nonetheless, the members agreed to extend the executive an extension to head the NEFD until the end of last season after their term of office lapsed last June.

Mupiri shot down a proposal by the nine aforementioned clubs to have elections in early November.

He said according to statutory provisions, the elections can only be held in January, allowing him to carry the NEFD’s voice at the NFA elective congress.

“We gave a directive that a notice of at least two months must be given before elections can take place. That’s where the deadlock happened.

“If not, it will bring disputes, because potential candidates will say they did not receive sufficient time to campaign. I’ve indicated that I’m unavailable for re-election,” said Mupiri.

He claims his term was extended to run till 2026 during a Zoom meeting on 27 June 2022, a position the aggrieved members do not acknowledge.

“The member clubs refuse to accept the validity of the extension letter of mandate acquired through a Zoom meeting to run until 2026 because this letter was completely distorted and given wrongful meaning by the chairperson,” the clubs stated.

“The 10 member clubs do not want to be forced to boot out the executive committee as the chairperson requested in the consultative meeting, but we want them to leave office or be re-elected into office through a fair election process and then do the honorary handover to the new regime which will be allowed to attend the NFA congress on 18 November.”

In response, Mupiri said: “We are the legitimate executive.The extension was not for one season, it was for one more term of office.

“Perhaps that’s what the members are not understanding. We are willing to step down. We are arranging an annual general meeting and are in communication with the NFA. By Monday we will know when to hold elections.

“People just want to take over, but don’t understand the process. They are driven by power and wanting to attend the congress for reasons only known to them.”

The league’s public relations officer, Domingo Ruwa, echoed Mupiri’s position, saying the elections cannot take place without due diligence being undertaken.

“Should we do as they wish, will we not be contravening the statutes? If we don’t go according to the rules for the elections, then next time there’s an issue we don’t need to apply them,” said Domingo.

He dismissed claims that the executive committee was disjointed and operating in secrecy.

“Information is flowing. Given that the league’s representation is vast, there are people assigned to update a certain group of clubs, depending on where they are situated.”

Traut said they cannot get involved in the NEFD’s issue and that they should make use of the provisions in the statutes to resolve the stand-off.

“This is a members’ issue. They are members of a member of the NFA, and have issues with the leadership. There are constitutions on how to do it.

“Just follow what happened in Khomas. The members called for an extraordinary meeting. They voted out the exco because they were not happy.

“So, they [the NEFD] must follow the same route. The NFA cannot interfere with the members’ running of affairs,” said Traut.