Divisions rock Swapo Women’s Council?

Written by Patience Nyangove
Thursday, 20 May 2010

SWAPO Women’s Council Secretary, Petrina Haingura, has reportedly accused the party’s Secretary General, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, of working with a South African catering company to discredit her ahead of next year’s elections.

Informanté last week revealed that Haingura and the SWC documentation secretary, Mildred Jantjies, attempted to extort N$300,000 in order for them to influence the awarding of catering tenders. But impeccable sources within Swapo, however, said Haingura is using Iivula-Ithana as a scapegoat.

The SWC will hold elections for new office bearers next year and Haingura strongly believes that Iivula-Ithana is using the ISS tender extortion claims to get rid of her.

In an interview done while sitting in her Toyota Aventis last week at Zoo Park where she was officiating at the World Nurses Day, Haingura spoke about “a big woman within Swapo who is after my position. I cannot tell you her name but she is very big. You know next year this Secretary of SWC post I am currently holding they will be an election for it and that’s why people are discrediting my name”.

The sources further allege that the claims came after Iivula-Ithana had a meeting with ISS management where Haingura allegedly walked out.

“Apparently Haingura has been telling the S.G every time she was requested to come and discuss this whole issue that she was busy and when she finally pitched up for the meeting and saw the ISS management with Iivula-Ithana she was not amused. That’s when she started saying Iivula-Ithana got kick-backs from those whites to discredit her.”

The sources also said that Haingura together with Jantjies have been approaching male Members of Parliament and ministers allegedly seeking their support to accuse Iivula-Ithana of dining the ISS “whites”.

Sources within the SWC who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the divisions. “That’s true and this issue apart from causing divisions in SWC will also cause divisions in the whole party as people take sides,” the sources said.

Iivula-Ithana and Jantjies are both out of the country. Iivula-Ithana is reported to be in Russia with President Hifikepunye Pohamba while Jantjies is Cape Town, South Africa attending the funeral of a relative.