Martin Endjala
The High Court has ordered the Swapo party and presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to respond on or before 30 August to an application challenging Swapo for failing to host an extraordinary congress following President Hage Geingob’s death.
Judge Kobus Miller is presiding over the matter brought by Reinhold Ngihepavali Shipwikineni, Joshua Vaino Martins, Petrus Ndeshipanda Shituula, Erich Chrismann Shivute and Aina Kalimba Angula.
The five Swapo members argue that the decision to postpone the extraordinary congress to April 2025 was a violation of the party constitution.
“The first respondent (Swapo) shall file their answering affidavit and counter the application on or before 30 August 2024,” ordered Miller.
He also instructed the applicants to submit their replying affidavits and answering affidavits to both Swapo and Nandi-Ndaitwah in order to counter their applications on 20 September.
According to the party’s constitution, the central committee was supposed to call an extraordinary congress within three months of the vacancy occurring to elect a new president to complete the unexpired term of the former president, unless such a vacancy occurs within six months before the ordinary congress.
The initial call by Shipwikineni and others was that an extraordinary congress would take place on or before 4 May to elect a new president to complete the unexpired term of Geingob.
The party’s central committee announced on 9 March that the extraordinary congress as stated in Article 15 (9) of the party’s constitution will take place on 19 April 2025.
The applicants claim that Nandi-Ndaitwah is in non-compliance with Article 15(9) and that her endorsement as a party presidential candidate is invalid.
The members have also penned a letter to the Electoral Commission of Namibia, requesting that she not be allowed to register as a presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential and national assembly elections.
