Staff Reporter
THE Landless People’s Movement (LPM) has said that it has not reversed its decision to dismiss three Swapo councillors from the //Kharas regional council, as it intends to challenge its decision in court.
The dismissed councillors are Oranjemund constituency councillor Lazarus Nangolo, Karasburg West constituency councillor Taimi Kanyemba, and !Nami#Nûs constituency councillor Susan Ndjaleka. They were dismissed by //Kharas regional council chairperson Joseph Isaacks for allegedly being absent from meetings without valid reasons, sabotaging the council, and refusing to fill positions in the council’s management committee.
In a statement, Lifalaza Simataa said that the LPM has always been aware of the principle of “dirty hands” in court proceedings and took the view that it should not fully implement the entirety of the decision to dismiss the former Swapo councillors.
He added that, after detailed discussions and debates with its lawyers, the LPM approached the court proceedings with a two-fold strategy. They decided that their legal team would agree with Swapo’s legal team for the continuation of salaries and benefits for the former councillors to avoid having “dirty hands.”
Simataa emphasized that the decision to fire the councillors remains fully intact, and it has not been rescinded.
“We have consented, with ‘reservation of all our rights,’ to argue the matter with greater constitutional and legal focus on the fundamentals of the Regional Councils’ governance, given the juristic character of the Regional Councils, as well as the unique legal provisions governing these bodies. It should be added that the Swapo councillors, who behave as if they are not accountable to any structure in their party, have decided to disregard both the local magistrate’s court order to take an oath of office and the interests of the voters of //Kharas residents. In the main, the three individuals have profusely refused to accede to the valid duties laid upon them by the Namibian Constitution and the Regional Councils Act, the governing law, to constitute the Management Committee,” Simataa said.
He added that the dismissed councillors regularly abscond from council meetings without valid reasons and deliberately sabotage the council.
“They are failing spectacularly! Refusing to fill vacant positions in the Management Committee with the intention of causing the Council to fail [and being] unable to justify their absence for various months,” Simataa said.
