Namibian Politics turns into African Politics.

[Michael Alexander]

Is Namibia going the African way.... concerns....

"A BLISTERING attack was launched on the Head of State and Swapo President, Hifikepunye Pohamba, at the Swapo Party Central Committee in Windhoek at the weekend, as a battle rages for control of power in the ruling party.

So-called loyalists of former President Sam Nujoma have taken up cudgels against "the rest".

Also on the receiving end of accusations hurled by junior Central Committee members - at what was described as a bad-tempered meeting - were Prime Minister Nahas Angula and his deputy, Libertina Amathila.

According to well-placed sources, charges of alleged "non-performance" against Angula and Amathila were led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Isak Katali and National Council member Margreth Mensah-Williams.

They are said to have accused Angula of having "reduced the Office of the Prime Minister to a Ministry".

Pohamba was reportedly accused of allegedly "not consulting" with "the party" on policy issues and of centralising decision-making around only three officials in his office.

However, Swapo Party insiders say it has more to do with Nujoma not having as much sway and say in the highest echelons of power than he had anticipated when he anointed Pohamba as his successor.

They say that added to this is Nujoma's desire to continue to influence the line of succession in the ruling party as well as who will eventually take over the reins from Pohamba as head of state.

Indications are that the former president is opposed to President Pohamba serving a second term.

Pohamba himself has been ambivalent on the question.

The talk in ruling party circles is that Nujoma would like to see Trade Minister Hage Geingob take over from Pohamba, to be succeeded by Nujoma's son, Uutoni, Deputy Minister of Justice.

Geingob is allegedly seen as the means of achieving this.

SEEDS OF SUCCESSION Sources indicated to The Namibian that President Pohamba was accused at the CC of relying too much on Secretary to Cabinet, Frans Kapofi, Ndali-Che Kamati, a State House official and Special Advisor to the President on Foreign Affairs Tuliameni Kalomoh.

Kalomoh's appointment as advisor to the President on Foreign Affairs was also questioned by some uncompromising Nujoma loyalists.

They have tried to cast doubt about his allegiance to Swapo, because of alleged ties to Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) interim president, Hidipo Hamutenya.

Since the formation of RDP, there have been calculated moves by Nujoma loyalists to out anyone perceived to be a Hamutenya supporter "hibernating in Swapo".

According to insiders, Pohamba is unable to control the Nujoma loyalists in the party, and is believed to be engineering moves to bring Nujoma back into the Politburo for his "own protection" and to also rein in particularly sloganeering Swapo Youth League and trade union elements.

"Nujoma is all behind this, he will not protect Pohamba," a supporter of the State President told The Namibian.

The President's discretionary powers on appointments also came under the spotlight, with calls that he should consult the party on certain appointments.

The Youth League is on record as advocating that appointments such as special advisors to ministers be vetted by the party.

FLASHPOINT President Pohamba, who was elected party president in November, suggested that he wants to implement the resolution making the Secretary General's post a full-time job.

This was however resisted by the 'Nujoma camp's' shock troops in the Youth Party.

Those clustering around Nujoma, who was officially given the title of 'Father of the Revolution' by Swapo last year, allegedly do not favour making Iivula-Ithana a full-time Secretary General.

They want her to keep her Government positions - Iivula-Ithana holds three posts: Swapo Secretary General, Attorney General and Justice Minister.

"It does not appear likely that President Pohamba would appoint Nujoma's son Uutoni, currently Deputy Justice Minister, into the post of Iivula-Ithana," a political analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Namibian yesterday.

"But Nujoma wants his son to become Swapo Vice President, he very craftily prevented Jerry Ekandjo, now Regional Government and Housing Minister, from becoming vice president.

Instead Hage Geingob, now Trade and Industry Minister, got that position, but this will probably not be for long."

Those who support Iivula-Ithana continuing with her executive Government jobs, argued at the CC that even the current party president, when he was the Secretary General did not serve in that portfolio full time.

"Why should Penny be the exception?" they questioned.

According to what could be gathered yesterday, the Nujoma group succeeded in blocking implementation of the resolution on making the Secretary General HQ-based and full-time.

Insiders say Pohamba had identified lawyer Hosea Angula as a potential candidate to take over from Iivula-Ithana as Attorney General, but the idea was apparently shelved after some Nujoma loyalists questioned the legal practitioner's Swapo credentials.

Prime Minister Angula reportedly told a State-owned newspaper on Thursday, when approached about the separation of the Attorney General post, that "the issue was raised by the youth, who like to talk about things that are not their business".

Some members of the 83-strong Central Committee apparently complained about Angula's alleged "unbecoming references to the Namibian youth and the Swapo Youth League in general".

When Angula was contacted for comment by The Namibian during a break in yesterday's proceedings, he remained tightlipped and merely said that Swapo would hold a press conference this week.

"The Central Committee meeting is a closed one and not for the media," Angula responded.

YOUTH LEAGUE SHENANIGANS Angula and Amathila have lately fallen out of favour with particularly the Swapo Youth League and the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW), which is a Swapo affiliate.

Recently a stand-off between Deputy Prime Minister, Libertina Amathila and her special assistant, Clinton Swartbooi was reported in the media.

Amathila apparently threatened to fire him because of unsatisfactory work performance.

Swartbooi was put on special leave by the Deputy Prime Minister to decide whether he wanted to continue with what he was paid for or not.

The Swapo Youth League chose to interpret this as "victimisation" because of Swartbooi's involvement with the youth wing.

Others see this as a deflection.

They say the issue is straightforward: Youth League lightweights like Swartbooi need to perform the jobs taxpayers pay them to do; that being Youth League members does not entitle them to operate as agents of disruption.

The Namibian was unable to establish by the time of going to press whether Swartbooi's "performance" was critically assessed at the CC meeting, let alone the performance of other top ranking Government officials in key ministries such as Lands, which is reported to be in a mess, or Education.

'THIRD FORCE' The Namibian has it on good authority that President Pohamba recently summoned youth league leaders and Swapo Party office bearers, including Iivula-Ithana and Prime Minister Nahas Angula for a closed-door meeting.

Angula is said to have suggested the existence of a "third force" being behind the Swapo Youth League statements.

Insiders said Angula even accused Iivula-Ithana of being part of what he termed the "third force" behind the youth league.

Iivula-Ithana is said to have denied the allegation.

At the weekend's Central Committee, Angula was accused of having reduced the high profile Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to just another ministry or "citizen Angula's" office.

The OPM, according to its detractors, has not been performing on its mandate, such as the formulation of the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy.

When President Pohamba took over as Head of State, the Cabinet secretariat in the Office of the Prime Minister was transferred to State House, leaving the OPM with only the mundane task of overseeing the activities of the Public Service Commission.

At the time this was seen as trimming the powers of the office and also the person leading the office.

This development, according to party insiders, reduced the high profile stature of the Office of the Prime Minister.

The CC was still meeting late last night."

[SandyB]

All sounds so familiar ...  blind loyalists ... the old struggle mentality still pervading instead of just realising that they are there to " serve" the people ... and BEE is not the answer .. it can kill the goose that lays the golden egg.. a fact only realised  once the Geese have flown ...