Kandjemuni Kamuiiri and Andrew Kathindi
Outstanding witness statements have delayed the on-going matter between Landless People’s Movement (LPM) leaders Bernardus Swartbooi and Henny Seibeb and Parliament.
This comes after the two members of Parliament had not submitted themselves to a disciplinary process at Parliament after raising concerns with how the process was being conducted. “The Committee of Privileges sat today. However, the Committee could not do much in relation to the disciplinary process as there are still a few outstanding witnesses’ statements from MPs who some attended the just-ended Pan African Parliament session,” Parliament’s spokesperson, David Nahogandja, said.
This comes as Parliament resumes tomorrow Tuesday, 08 June, 2021, at 14h30. “We hope that with the resumption of the National Assembly sessions tomorrow, the outstanding witness statements will be submitted within the next five days, so that the Committee begins with preparation for the hearing,”
The Standing Committee of Privileges convened a preliminary hearing in May meant to set out and share the rules of engagement and how to go about with the hearing process. The disciplinary matter arose after Swartbooi and Seibeb were hauled from Parliament after Speaker of Parliament deemed them to be disruptive while President Hage Geingob was engaging MPs in a question-and-answer session after delivering his State of the Nation Address.
Katjavivi then banned the two parliamentarians from Parliament, a matter which has since gone up to the Supreme Court.
