Maria Hamutenya
Legal representative of recalled Landless Peoples Movement (LPM)’s councillors, Richard Metcalfe, says the appointment of new Mariental councillors is illegal.
Thus he will proceed to file for review from the High Court next week Monday.Metcalfe maintained the two LPM members had been denied a proper disciplinary hearing by the party before it recalled them from their position on the Mariental town council. “It is time that politicians start to remember that Namibia is a democracy with a Constitution as its Supreme law.”
“They can’t continue to run the country like the colonials did. We sink lower by the day in the eyes of the international community thanks solely to self-serving politicians,” Metcalfe added.
The LPM on Monday appointed Frensis Franciska Gawases and Andy Boois as new councillors on the Mariental municipality, replacing Daniel Gariseb and Rogetta Haak who both were recalled recently. This is for allegedly colluding with the ruling Swapo party.
Appointing new councillors with a pending challenge by the recalled councillors, LPM Secretary-General, Edson Isaack, denied there was a pending case. “What pending case? The law gives us the right to appoint any member that we want to appoint, we are not wasting time,” said Isaack.
The former councillors, through their lawyer had earlier demanded reinstatement by the party or drag it to court, and report them to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for corruption.
Isaack added that the party has not received any summons from court yet apart from back and forth letters between LPM lawyers and the suspended councillor’s legal representatives. LPM, through their lawyers, Dr Weder, Kauta & Hoveka Inc, wrote to the former councillor’s lawyer, Richard Metcalfe, requesting their availability and willingness to meet last week. The request was however turned down by the recalled councillors, stating in their letter that they will only be willing to meet once the party has reversed its decision to recall them. LPM holds five of the seven seats on the Mariental town council.
