Former Swapo councillor quits as party member

A FORMER Swapo representative on the Keetmans­hoop Town Council, Justine Louw, who resigned from her position a month ago, also quit as a party member yesterday.

She stated in a resignation letter sent to the party’s regional coordinator that she was resigning from the party, and exercising her right to join a political party of her choice.

“In the context of above, I unequivocally register that I will not take part in any activities of the party as from the date of the letter,” Louw’s letter reads.

//Karas Swapo coordinator Mathew Mumbala yesterday acknowledged receiving the resignation letter.

“We accept her resignation,” he stated.

He said the party had been expecting Louw to jump ship sooner or later because of her association with members of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM).

“We do not regret her long-overdue resignation. We wish her good luck,” Mumbala remarked.

Louw could not be reached on her cellphone yesterday, and also did not respond to a text message sent to her.

When she resigned from the Keetmanshoop Town Council a month ago, Louw explained that fellow councillors had an issue with her applying for a position at the council while serving on the council’s management committee, which is tasked with the hiring and firing of employees.

According to Louw, the fellow councillors argued that she had put them in a “conflict situation” by applying for the council job while serving as a management committee member.

Their perceptions, she said, left her with no choice but to quit her council seat, as well as to withdraw her application for the job in question, for which she had already been shortlisted then.