Martin Endjala
The mayor of Aranos, Hans Bafrath, has denied allegations of gender-based violence (GBV) levelled against him.
He described the allegations as a politically motivated smear campaign.
Bafrath, a member of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), claims the accusations are part of a plot to unseat him as mayor.
“She is right here with me. I did not assault her as reports suggest”.
The girlfriend who spoke to the Windhoek Observer on condition of anonymity also denied that Bafrath assaulted her.
“No. He did not assault me as I am speaking to you, we are together right now. Those are just people trying to cause problems that are not there,” she said.
The allegations surfaced last week, with reports suggesting that Bafrath had assaulted his girlfriend.
Bafrath alleges that the push for his removal is being led by the LPM’s Aranos Regional Councillor, Salomon Boois, whom he accuses of harbouring ambitions for the mayoral position.
“Boois has always been after my position. And, Johannes Kooper has been pushing his agenda,” he claims.
He added that the accusations are part of a broader political strategy within the LPM, with Boois and Kooper allegedly using “dirty tricks” to undermine him.
Bafrath said he has written to the party’s national headquarters, calling for a dialogue, because he believes he is being falsely accused.
According to him, relations between himself, Boois, and Kooper have soured.
Kooper who is the LPM chairperson in Aranos cited the conduct of Bafrath as destructive to the party and the town council, hence the need to recall the mayor.
Boois refuted Bafrath’s claims of being the mastermind of his recall.
He said he has nothing to do with the mayor’s recall, but the recall is coming from the electorates of Aranos.
“Kooper is the LPM chairperson in Aranos. Meaning, he is both my and Bafrath’s boss. We all report to him. The second thing is. I cannot call for a recall on my own. This is what the people are demanding on the ground. If the electorate says they want him gone, there is nothing I can do,” said Boois.
He said Bafraths actions are what led to the demand for his recall by the electorate because they no longer have trust in him as the mayor of the town.
Furthermore, Boois stated that the recall has not yet taken place, currently, it’s just on the cards and no decision has been taken.
Aranos municipality management committee chairperson, Christine Jarson said that there is no GBV case registered against Bafrath and such reports are just rumours.
She also said the council is not discussing any recall of any council member and she is not aware of the said recall.
“I have not heard of any recall,” she said.
The party spokesperson Lifalaza Simaata said they are aware of the situation of the mayor, and once investigations are completed, the party will pronounce itself on the way forward.
