NUNW infighting deepens
The CEC of the federation has purportedly met last weekend to consider, among other things, the possibility of calling an extraordinary congress to restore congruence and constitutionality.
The battle over the list of representatives of the trade union federation National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) to the Swapo party congress seems to heat up instead of being resolved.
The deposed NUNW president, Ismael Kasuto, said the Central Executive Committee (CEC) held an extraordinary meeting on Saturday where it was established that this body had “never” instituted a High Court case against him, which was an attempt to oust him from the presidency.
The round robin resolution that sought to get a High Court order to strip Kasuto from his presidency on 31 August was signed by Petrus Nevonga, Joseph Gabriel, Penda Jacob, John Kwedhi, Nellie Dina Kahua, Basilius Haingura, and Job Muniaro.
A round robin resolution is where an issue needs to be decided before the next board meeting or in circumstances where management requires urgent input from the board.
It needs the knowledge and unanimous approval of all involved.
A press statement issued by Kasuto over the weekend said the extraordinary CEC meeting on Saturday resolved that his attempted ousting was a “desperate attempt” by Muniaro, who is the NUNW secretary-general, and “affiliate officials” to serve their own personal agendas.
According to this statement, the weekend's extraordinary CEC meeting distanced itself from the threat issued by the Nevonga/Muniaro group against Swapo secretary-general Nangolo Mbumba, for having allegedly deliberately ignored their list of representatives to the upcoming Swapo congress.
The Nevonga/Muniaro group had given Mbumba three days to respond and by the end of last week Mbumba agreed to meet with this group to iron out the issues surrounding the NUNW list of representatives to the Swapo congress.
Kasuto and his group – at the extraordinary CEC over the weekend – said the High Court case against Kasuto was initiated by “desperate officials with ambitions known to themselves and not the NUNW CEC”.
It said the outcome of the High Court case would have no bearing on the operations of the NUNW, and resolved to distance itself against the case against Kasuto and declared resolutions of a meeting on 19 August as null and void.
Kasuto said the CEC is “contemplating” calling for an extraordinary NUNW congress to restore constitutionality in the federation.
My office or the highway
Muniaro on Friday reiterated that the only list of representatives to the Swapo congress was the list issued by his office.
He said no other list was of any legal standing.
He said they had met with the minister of labour, industrial relations and employment creation, Erkki Nghimtina, minister of fisheries Bernhardt Esau and gender minister Doreen Sioka to discuss the matter.
“The outcome was very good,” said Muniaro, saying that the list this group had sent to Mbumba's office was not “in dispute”.
He said it was expected that Mbumba's office would issue a response by tomorrow.
Muniaro would not talk about Kasuto's insistence that an alternative list, an “authentic” and true reflection of representation to the Swapo congress, was sent to Mbumba's office as well.
“I do not want to talk about things that are not administrative; the administration of the NUNW belongs to the office of the secretary-general [Muniaro's office],” he said, adding: “There is no dispute [over the list]. I do not want to discuss Kasuto. He is not a leader of the federation. A dispute was never registered.”
CATHERINE SASMAN
The deposed NUNW president, Ismael Kasuto, said the Central Executive Committee (CEC) held an extraordinary meeting on Saturday where it was established that this body had “never” instituted a High Court case against him, which was an attempt to oust him from the presidency.
The round robin resolution that sought to get a High Court order to strip Kasuto from his presidency on 31 August was signed by Petrus Nevonga, Joseph Gabriel, Penda Jacob, John Kwedhi, Nellie Dina Kahua, Basilius Haingura, and Job Muniaro.
A round robin resolution is where an issue needs to be decided before the next board meeting or in circumstances where management requires urgent input from the board.
It needs the knowledge and unanimous approval of all involved.
A press statement issued by Kasuto over the weekend said the extraordinary CEC meeting on Saturday resolved that his attempted ousting was a “desperate attempt” by Muniaro, who is the NUNW secretary-general, and “affiliate officials” to serve their own personal agendas.
According to this statement, the weekend's extraordinary CEC meeting distanced itself from the threat issued by the Nevonga/Muniaro group against Swapo secretary-general Nangolo Mbumba, for having allegedly deliberately ignored their list of representatives to the upcoming Swapo congress.
The Nevonga/Muniaro group had given Mbumba three days to respond and by the end of last week Mbumba agreed to meet with this group to iron out the issues surrounding the NUNW list of representatives to the Swapo congress.
Kasuto and his group – at the extraordinary CEC over the weekend – said the High Court case against Kasuto was initiated by “desperate officials with ambitions known to themselves and not the NUNW CEC”.
It said the outcome of the High Court case would have no bearing on the operations of the NUNW, and resolved to distance itself against the case against Kasuto and declared resolutions of a meeting on 19 August as null and void.
Kasuto said the CEC is “contemplating” calling for an extraordinary NUNW congress to restore constitutionality in the federation.
My office or the highway
Muniaro on Friday reiterated that the only list of representatives to the Swapo congress was the list issued by his office.
He said no other list was of any legal standing.
He said they had met with the minister of labour, industrial relations and employment creation, Erkki Nghimtina, minister of fisheries Bernhardt Esau and gender minister Doreen Sioka to discuss the matter.
“The outcome was very good,” said Muniaro, saying that the list this group had sent to Mbumba's office was not “in dispute”.
He said it was expected that Mbumba's office would issue a response by tomorrow.
Muniaro would not talk about Kasuto's insistence that an alternative list, an “authentic” and true reflection of representation to the Swapo congress, was sent to Mbumba's office as well.
“I do not want to talk about things that are not administrative; the administration of the NUNW belongs to the office of the secretary-general [Muniaro's office],” he said, adding: “There is no dispute [over the list]. I do not want to discuss Kasuto. He is not a leader of the federation. A dispute was never registered.”
CATHERINE SASMAN
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