Stefanus Nashama
The SWAPO Party says that a letter circulating on social media platforms announcing the suspension of President Hage Geingob as the leader of the party is not authentic and does not concern the party.
The Swapo Party Spokesperson, Hilma Nicanor yesterday in an interview with the Windhoek Observer, denounced the allegations.
The letter titled; ‘Suspension from the Swapo Party President Position’ is purportedly written under the name of one Reinhold Shipwiikineni and sparked shockwaves.
A number of people reacting to the said letter said that the letter is seriously misleading the nation, damaging the party’s reputation and creating a chaotic situation while the country is heading to the 2024 presidential and national assembly elections.
The letter dated 22 May 2023, states that the Swapo Party’s National Executive Committee held a meeting on that particular day in which it resolved to suspend President Geingob as SWAPO Party President with immediate effect and that Shipwikineni was appointed as the Acting Party President.
In the letter, Shipwikineni claimed to be the Chairperson of the Swapo Party’s National Executive Committee and a former member of the SWAPO Party Youth League of the Erongo Regional Executive Committee. The writer also claimed that he was appointed with immediate effect.
In response to the letter, Nicanor clarified that there is no truth in such a letter, nor does it involve the Swapo Party at any level of its structures.
She said the Party does not have the structures mentioned in the letter and the author was hallucinating about what he has written.“The letter does not make sense and it is not authentic. It does not involve us as a party. The author is perhaps mad and an enemy of the party,” she said.
She reiterated that Swapo Party just concluded its congress in November last year where it elected its executive leaders.“These are enemies of Swapo who are trying to mislead the nation and confuse the party members,” Nicanor said.
The letter also said that President Geingob should hand over office keys and all Swapo Party President’s documents including financial reports, cheque books, passwords and usernames of Swapo Party’s President email address and provide the Swapo Party’s bank statement he claims was created in 2015 and was allegedly used to bank Fishrot money.
Shiwiikineni, in his damning allegations further claimed that President Geingob is involved in corrupt practices and money laundering, and that he is promoting same-sex marriage rights in Namibia, hence his ‘suspension’ from the position of party President. The letter has reportedly made its way to the Swapo Party Vice President, Netumbo Nandi-Ndeitwah and all of SwapoParty’s NEC and CEC.
“It should remain clear to the public that Swapo has never written such a letter and it does not involve the party. There is no reason to worry about that letter since it does not come from our party,” Nicanor stressed.
Nicanor has since urged the party members, followers and sympathisers to condemn such a letter and remain calm, reaffirming that the party has not suspended Geingob as president.
