APP drags feet on Shuumbwa's disciplinary verdict
Findings to be announced next week
Shuumbwa was suspended for reportedly forming a new political party alongside his 'bestie', Vinsent Kanyetu.
More than two weeks after All People's Party’s (APP) former vice-president Erastus Shuumbwa was summoned for a disciplinary hearing following his suspension earlier this year for allegedly being involved in forming a new party, APP has yet to announce the outcome.
The party’s newly-elected secretary-general Marius Goraseb yesterday confirmed that the disciplinary hearing had been concluded. "We have received the findings. However, the announcement will be made next week. This is because the constitution of the secretariat is not yet complete. We are waiting to finalise that before making any announcements, including the congress outcome, the resolutions, the amendments to the constitution and the outcome of the hearing," he said.
‘Completely dead’
A week before his disciplinary hearing, Shuumbwa told The Namibian that his party is "completely dead", as many people had resigned from it.
In response to the remarks, APP's newly-appointed president, Ambrosius Kumbwa, accused the former vice-president of trying to destroy the party following the expulsion of his alleged ‘best friend’, former secretary-general Vinsent Kanyetu.
"Shuumbwa is trying to destroy the party because of our expelled former secretary-general, Kanyetu. They are best friends, so they want to use APP members to leave the party and join their new party, Action Democratic Movement [ADM]," he said.
"There are rumours that Shuumbwa is also with Kanyetu in the new party, but he has not resigned from APP. He claims the party is dead, yet he remains in parliament on the APP ticket. He is not participating in parliamentary standing committees, so he is not the right leader for this party because he is not contributing. What he is saying is uncalled for, from my perspective. It is not true,” he told Namibian Sun.
"He does not want the party to grow or move forward because of his incompetence. We don't want to keep people in the party if they don't work for the people," Kumbwa added.
No evidence
Shuumbwa refuted allegations of his involvement in the newly formed ADM, saying there is no evidence to support the claims.
"I speak to a lot of leaders and members from other parties. Does that mean I am part of all those parties? The problem with APP is that it is a very tribal party. I don't want to be part of a tribal party. When I tried to correct the tribalism within the party, that's when the problem started. That's when I became an enemy of everyone," he said.
The party’s newly-elected secretary-general Marius Goraseb yesterday confirmed that the disciplinary hearing had been concluded. "We have received the findings. However, the announcement will be made next week. This is because the constitution of the secretariat is not yet complete. We are waiting to finalise that before making any announcements, including the congress outcome, the resolutions, the amendments to the constitution and the outcome of the hearing," he said.
‘Completely dead’
A week before his disciplinary hearing, Shuumbwa told The Namibian that his party is "completely dead", as many people had resigned from it.
In response to the remarks, APP's newly-appointed president, Ambrosius Kumbwa, accused the former vice-president of trying to destroy the party following the expulsion of his alleged ‘best friend’, former secretary-general Vinsent Kanyetu.
"Shuumbwa is trying to destroy the party because of our expelled former secretary-general, Kanyetu. They are best friends, so they want to use APP members to leave the party and join their new party, Action Democratic Movement [ADM]," he said.
"There are rumours that Shuumbwa is also with Kanyetu in the new party, but he has not resigned from APP. He claims the party is dead, yet he remains in parliament on the APP ticket. He is not participating in parliamentary standing committees, so he is not the right leader for this party because he is not contributing. What he is saying is uncalled for, from my perspective. It is not true,” he told Namibian Sun.
"He does not want the party to grow or move forward because of his incompetence. We don't want to keep people in the party if they don't work for the people," Kumbwa added.
No evidence
Shuumbwa refuted allegations of his involvement in the newly formed ADM, saying there is no evidence to support the claims.
"I speak to a lot of leaders and members from other parties. Does that mean I am part of all those parties? The problem with APP is that it is a very tribal party. I don't want to be part of a tribal party. When I tried to correct the tribalism within the party, that's when the problem started. That's when I became an enemy of everyone," he said.
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