Staff Reporter
THE United People’s Movement (UPM) Secretary-General, Elizabeth Becker, has announced the removal of UPM President Jan van Wyk after he allegedly failed to attend three consecutive management committee meetings of the party.
In addition to this, Mita Pickering (UPM Vice President) and Justin Coetzee (UPM Local Authority Councillor) have also been removed due to non-attendance at management committee meetings.
“The UPM Secretary-General (SG) served three notices for Management Committee meetings in September 2024, as per the UPM Constitution. However, Mr. Jan van Wyk (UPM President), Ms. Mita Pickering (UPM Vice President), and Mr. Justin Coetzee (UPM Local Authority Councillor) failed to appear and did not present valid apologies for non-attendance at the meetings. Section 9.12 of the UPM Constitution automatically removes management committee members for failure to attend three consecutive meetings without apology,” Becker said in a statement.
She added that UPM Party President Van Wyk has also refused to comply with a court order by Judge Shafimana Ueitele to reinstate herself (Becker), Joseph van Wyk, and Moretha van Wyk, whom he relieved of their duties on 28 February 2023, after allegations that the three had led the party into financial ruin.
“Sufficient time (21 days, as per Supreme Court rules) was granted to Jan van Wyk (as UPM President and First Defendant) to file a Notice of Appeal, which he failed to do, thus rendering the Court Order enforceable without objection. This default has resulted in the Secretariat, under the elected UPM Secretary-General, commencing with notices for Management Committee meetings,” Becker said.
The SG said that, in addition to the automatic removal of Jan van Wyk as UPM President, the UPM Management Committee will hold Van Wyk accountable for allegations of mismanagement of UPM funds from March 2023 to the date of his removal as UPM President.
Becker added that he would also be held accountable for the loss of income for UPM earned through seating in the National Assembly under the alliance with the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), resulting from unconstitutional actions taken by himself.
Additionally, she said that he would be investigated for allowing the misappropriation of assets belonging to the UPM, including the registration of a UPM vehicle in the name of Francis Huish at NATIS, as well as an alleged attempt to defraud the National Assembly by misrepresenting himself as the leader of the party under the PDM/UPM alliance to receive the prescribed salary and benefits of the position.
Becker said that McHenry Venaani is recognised as the leader under the alliance agreement registered with the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN).
Efforts by Informanté to get hold of Jan van Wyk for comment on the above matters were unsuccessful before the time of publishing.
