Swapo summons member for implicating Shaningwa in N$2,5m transaction

Swapo secretary for economic affairs Bernadette Jagger has summoned party member Pedro Mwenyo to an inquiry for allegedly accusing party secretary general (SG) Sophia Shaningwa of withdrawing N$2,5 million from Guinas Investment’s account, a Swapo company.

Jagger wrote a letter to Mwenyo on Monday.

The summons came after a lengthy message was circulated on social media alleging that N$2,5 million was withdrawn to fund the just ended Swapo regional rallies.

Jagger also called for the removal of Guinas Investment’s board chairperson Joseph Andreas.

Jagger, who serves in both Swapo’s central committee and politburo, said Mwenyo would be required to give evidence to substantiate his claims.

“I am writing this letter to you in accordance with a decision of the Swapo party secretariat meeting held on 6 November over the allegations levelled against the persona of the SG through social media platforms,” Jagger wrote.

“Accordingly, you are hereby summoned to appear before an inquiry into the matter and to provide evidence over the allegations for appropriate sanction.”

The inquiry is slated for next week Tuesday at Namib Contract Haulage offices in Windhoek.

Mwenyo told The Namibian yesterday that he was surprised when he received the letter written by Jagger.

He also denied being the author of the widely circulated message, asserting that he only forwarded it from a WhatsApp group to a Swapo WhatsApp group, of which he is the administrator.

“I am surprised that the whole big organisation has to summon someone like me based on a forwarded message from one group to another group. It does not sound professional for the team that sat with the SG to summon me, for me to go and explain what I don’t know,” he said.

He said he forwarded the message because he found it “interesting’ and felt that Shaningwa needed to know about the alleged N$2,5 million.

“How many are going to be summoned?”

Sources in the party claim Mwenyo has been critical about the election of Swapo vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Shaningwa and her deputy Uahekua Herunga, at the party’s elective congress last year.

Contacted for comment yesterday, Jagger confirmed that Mwenyo has been summoned to meet the secretariat next week.

Shaningwa yesterday said The Namibian should wait for Mwenyo to appear before the inquiry first.

“Why don’t you wait for him to respond? Why do you jump onto issues where the person has not responded and you are asking me already. What is this?”