Swapo 2012 picking up

LET me cut to the chase. The race for Swapo’s 2012 congress has started interfering with the proper running of local authorities.

Some mayors are being ‘forced’ onto ratepayers and the electorate must come to terms with putting up with these people until the November elections change the status quo.
In all this, it has become crystal clear that one of the biggest challenges facing Swapo is the lack of consistency in how the leadership runs the party.
Some rules are only applied when it suits certain individuals and/or conveniently ignored when it does not suit the ruling class.
The recent changes, or attempted change of guard, at the local authorities of Rehoboth, Okahandja, Oshakati and Keetmanshoop are a case in point.
There is a party directive that no mayor must be removed at Swapo-led town councils because of the short time left before the November elections.
That is similar to the directive given last year that no regional councillor must stand for National Assembly elections because Swapo did not want by-elections.
It seems that those very same directives aimed at maintaining stability in the run-up to the November elections are under attack, while many of the members and leaders seem to be sleeping through it all.
While the leadership insist on the implementation of the directive in Keetmanshoop and are stopping former mayor Simon Petrus Tiboth from challenging Basil Brown for instance, the same directive was ignored in Rehoboth where mayor George Dax was removed and replaced with someone else.
Those who don’t want Tiboth are working with opposition councillors – people from different ideological trenches – to remove him, but he is accused of colluding with the opposition to work against ruling party directives.
Tiboth was removed from his mayoral position while there was a similar directive out not to oust him.
In Oshakati mayor Katrina Shimbulu retained her position only after the intervention of higher authorities.
Her fellow councillors did not want her but were instructed in no uncertain terms to re-elect her.
That is why she broke into tears when she was delivering her acceptance speech.
It is clear that those making the changes at local authority level aren’t alone.
Forces are at work and they are clearly preparing their way to the 2012 Swapo congress.
Swapo is a strange party and I expect some senior leaders will try to deny what I am writing about.
But in Swapo, one launches a campaign for the presidency or any other party position by denying that you are a contender!
One can also become a target of some ‘imperialist’ newspaper or a victim of a consistent racial attack by ‘Eurocentric’ people, and fellow comrades will fall for your ploy hook, line and sinker – meaning you will soon become a hero in the party.
Some serious nitpicking and mudslinging has already started emerging and the expectation is that the energy-sapping but useless fights will intensify in the run-up to the November elections.
Swapo is known for delivering the spine-chilling stuff as the race heats up!
The only hope is that the leadership will avoid the perennial problem of lack of consistency as they deal with the sifting or purging of cadres. Yes, that is what it is.
Councillors and other cadres who want to remain in their positions merely ensure that they are in favour with some leaders, even if they are corrupt or collaborating with the opposition! In the process, dishonesty and double standards take the front seat.
So what does the Swapo president think about all this? He ostensibly runs the party from State House while somebody else is in charge at the party headquarters!

* This column first appeared in The Namibian