THE re-election of Dina Namubes from the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) as Swakopmund mayor for 2024 on Tuesday has been described as a breach of contract by the Swakopmund Residents Association (SRA).
This follows a delay in the election of office-bearers due to a tie in mayoral nominations two weeks ago.
David Am-!Gabeb (from the United Democratic Front) was nominated again as the deputy mayor, while the management committee consists of Blasius Goraseb (from the Landless People’s Movement) as the chairperson, along with Claus-Werner Goldbeck (from the IPC), Petrus Shimhanda (IPC), Wilfried Groenewald (Swakopmund Residents Association) and Matthias Henrichsen (SRA).
It was anticipated that Henrichsen would receive the mayoral chain.
According to an agreement among the town’s council coalition, which includes the SRA, IPC and LPM, Henrichsen was nominated for the 2024 position previously.
Signed last month by the SRA and IPC, this agreement emerged after the 2020 local authority elections.
The coalition, composed of six members – three from the IPC, two from the SRA, and one from the LPM – aimed for proportional sharing of the mayoral role, with the IPC holding it for three years, followed by one year each for the SRA and LPM.
IPC members Louisa Kativa (now Erongo councillor for the Swakopmund constituency) and Namubes have served for the past three years, and it was expected Namubes would hand over the chain to Henrichsen.
In 2025, the LPM’s Goraseb was slated to assume the role.
However, the plan encountered a setback when only eight of the 10 council members attended the first election attempt two weeks ago, resulting in two ties between Henrichsen and Namubes, with each receiving three votes and two abstentions.
As a result, presiding magistrate Lucia Elishi postponed the election to yesterday as prescribed by the Local Authorities Act.
This has never happened in the Swakopmund Municipal Council’s history.
SRA chairperson John Hopkins says the election of Namubes on Tuesday was a “breach of contract”.
He expresses the need to address the issue for the good governance of Swakopmund, conceding to let Namubes continue as mayor but ensuring that the SRA and LPM coalition maintains its place in the management committee.
Hopkins notes the uncertainty surrounding next year’s election, where Goraseb is expected to take the chain.
Namubes defended her election, stating it was not a breach of contract, but rather a misunderstanding of the Local Authorities Act.
She says coalition agreements signed outside the local authority do not override the act, which mandates that all elections, including that of the mayor, must occur in the council chambers.
“I believe we complied, and we will carry on doing what we do best, and even better this year,” she says.
Namubes affirms compliance with the law and the resolution of trust issues prior to yesterday’s election.
In her acceptance speech, she highlighted the positive relations between the parties, emphasising the council’s unique leadership and its commitment to collaboration.
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