New National Youth Council board defies Tjongarero over leadership

The newly elected National Youth Council of Namibia (NYC) board has defied a decision by sport, youth and national service minister Agnes Tjongarero to put in place an interim board to serve for the next six months.

Tjongarero disagrees with the youth who met at the NYC’s third general assembly over the weekend to elect a new leadership.   David Hanse from the Junior Chambers International, an NYC affiliate, has accused Tjongarero of seeking to favour a faction of the NYC by suppressing their voices.

“What we have come to understand is that there is a particular group from a particular party that is disgruntled because they had their own particular candidate who they wanted to wheelbarrow into positions,” Hanse said on Monday.

“Now when they saw that they do not have the numbers on the ground, they ran to the minister’s office to try and cut the young people from having an opportunity and the right platform to decide legitimately and legally who should lead them,” Hanse continued.

“So, what we are also cautioning as young people of this great republic is that ministries or offices of government should not be used to push personal agendas. People who are supposed to be national leaders representing the interest of all young people will cause a problem when they choose a particular faction in a democratic process that needs to take place,” he said.

Hanse has called on president Nangolo Mbumba to call the minister to order.  A total of 51 affiliates of the youth council gathered at Rietfontein and elected Simon Taapopi (chairperson), Ester Simon, Luciano Kambala, Veparura Kandirikira, Yolande Sabatta and Melinda Mogotsi as the NYC’s leadership.

Tjongarero over the weekend suspended the entire NYC board over allegations of misconduct, dishonesty and mismanagement of funds. The minister yesterday said she was in the dark about there being a new board, pointing at possible defiance of her orders.

“I do not know anything about the new board, I do not know who was chairing, all I know I know is I have suspended the board that was in place. I know nothing about that whole thing,” she said.

Tjongarero admitted that she is dealing with defiance from within the NYC, some of whose members have accused her of intimidation tactics ahead of the assembly.

“All I know is I said let’s not move on with the AGM because there are other groups and individuals who are complaining about the process which was done with the restructuring,” Tjongarero said.

“So I told the board and said halt, do not go on with any AGM till we resolve the issue of the people that are disgruntled. Hear them out. Let’s resolve and then the thing can move on. But if they do not want to listen and they are moving on, I do not know what is actually the thing. Those other people are now left out because nobody heard their complaints. Nobody solved their problems so that they could also be part and parcel of a proper AGM. That was all I was asking,” she said.

Tjongarero has appointed an interim NYC board to serve for the next six months. It is made up of Curtis Andrew, Beverly Silas, Hendrik Theofius, Victoria Itta and Ngoshi Panduleni.

Tjongarero has assured the public that none of the interim board members will be eligible for election to any positions during the NYC’s next general assembly.  A delegate at the assembly, Kapanda Marenga, said the minister cannot suspend the NYC general assembly.

“The minister doesn’t have the powers to halt the general assembly. We have elected our leaders and we will stand by them,” he said. Kunene Regional Youth Forum delegate Norman Nanuseb said: “We are gathered here as young people of Namibia representing different regions and we decided on our leadership through the approved general assembly. There must be something behind the minister and I do not know what that is. However, I believe that whenever issues of young people are to be discussed they should be given a platform to air their views and to make decisions on their own.”

Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah says he supports the decision of the minister.

“As much as I do not agree with the process, I agree with the action of the minister that she had to take action which was long overdue. But I hear also that from her side as the ministry they were also vying for their own interests. That is what is wrong with our country at many levels, at many institutions and many structures,” Kamwanyah said.