Shipwikineni’s membership was already terminated – Shaningwa

Swapo secretary general Sophia Shaningwa says Reinhold Shipwikineni’s membership had already been revoked.

This comes after Shipwikineni recently resigned from the party due to corruption scandals the party has been embroiled in.

Shaningwa saya Shipwikineni’s membership was revoked after he carried out a series of activities that were either subversive of the party’s objectives or in support of movements and organisations whose aims and objectives are contrary to those of the party.

This is contained in her response letter dated 19 May to Shipwikineni’s resignation.

Shipwikineni last year took the party to court for “unlawfully” not holding an extraordinary congress after the death of former president Hage Geingob.

“In fact, if there was any doubt that you had long lost your membership of the Swapo party, your loss of membership was unequivocally confirmed last year when you publicly supported a political party and its presidential candidate whose aims and objectives are contrary to that of the party.”

“We, at all material times, took it that you would not have been so naïve to still think that notwithstanding your activities and in particular your open support of another political party you somehow remained a Swapo party member,” she says.

On that basis, Shaningwa says the party had long considered Shipwikineni as a non-member.

She adds that Shipwikineni has lost the honour and privilege of being a Swapo member.

She says this has been for the party’s good as she believes Shipwikineni thought he would cause maximum damage to the party but failed dismally in this respect.

“Swapo reminds you that, notwithstanding you losing its membership, you awkwardly continue pursuing a civil case in the High Court in which you claim to have locus standi as a Swapo member,” she says.

She says the party has placed him on notice as he remains liable for all legal costs the party had incurred.

This letter, she says, will be produced in court to seek a punitive cost order should he not withdraw his case accompanied by a tender of cost within the next five days.