PDM abandons Windhoek headquarters

Following a dismal showing at last month’s national assembly elections, which saw the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) lose 11 seats, the party has terminated the lease agreement of its head office in Windhoek due to alleged financial challenges.The party’s leadership, insiders told this publication, resolved to abandon its N$40 000-a-month office in Windhoek West, due to the expected reduced income from its parliamentary seats.Several senior party leaders, such as party president McHenry Venaani, secretary general Manuel Ngaringombe, and several leaders of the party’s respective wings, were housed at the headquarters. The party will now have to seek an alternative administrative home for these officials.PDM moved into the office after the 2019 elections when it garnered 16 National Assembly seats.Upon a visit to the offices yesterday morning by this publication, party members were busy moving furniture and other party-related properties from the premises.Claims deniedThis comes not long after the party denied claims that it is grappling with severe financial difficulties, which have allegedly forced it to consider stopping salary payments to a huge chunk of its workforce as well as retrenching where necessary.Both Ngaringombe and party spokesperson Geoffrey Mwilima were not available for comment yesterday when approached to comment on why the party vacated the offices and where it would be operating from going forward.Venaani is also set to lose his parliamentary office in March 2025, which he was accorded by virtue of being the leader of the official opposition party.Allegedly scaling backThe party leadership apparently took a sober decision at last Thursday&#039;s national executive committee (NEC) meeting to embark on a cost-cutting exercise, which includes salary cuts and possible retrenchments of administrative staffers.In addition to staff cuts, PDM plans to scale back its funeral assistance programme and other expenditures. The party has previously announced that its vice president will be added to the payroll, but it is not clear whether this will still be implemented considering the current financial quagmire the party allegedly finds itself in.PDM allegedly owes N$250 000 to senior party member Nico Smit and faces alleged additional debts, including payments to printers for election materials. Monthly expenses have allegedly climbed to N$360 000, exacerbating the party’s financial woes, sources claimed. Ngaringombe on Tuesday played down the claims when approached.“If [information of financial challenges] did not come from my office, there is no truth in it," Ngaringombe told the publication.There are talks following last week’s NEC meeting that the 16 regional coordinators, each earning about N$7 000 monthly, and wing leaders, who receive N$9 000 will have their salaries slashed, and in some instances stopped altogether. The party is also considering selling some of its fleet, purchased through hire-purchase agreements, to reduce costs.

PDM abandons Windhoek headquarters

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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PDM abandons Windhoek headquarters

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-02

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