RUNDU: The Namibia Public Workers’ Union (Napwu) Congress will not discuss the Government Institutions’ Pension Fund (GIPF) Development Capital Portfolio (DCP) defaulted millions, as was hoped and expected by some congress delegates who have been demanding for a satisfactory end to the matter.
The 9th elective NAPWU congress kicked off at Rundu on Wednesday after an about three-hour delay because the Central Executive Committee (CEC) members were locked up in a meeting. Speaking during the opening of the congress, Napwu acting president Sarafine Kandere said the country has debated the GIPF issue for most of the year 2010, and it has received adequate attention from all stakeholders, adding that on the Napwu leadership side, ‘we have gone out of our way to re-align our participation’.
“We have done so without compromising anyone, let alone pointing fingers before forensic investigations in the matter have duly been concluded and the findings made known,” said the Kandere.
She noted that as a firm believer in natural justice and the rule of law, the Napwu leadership will not participate in prejudicial actions for any reason whatsoever; adding that it remains focused, and await the conclusion of investigations by the government and its contracted investigators. “I urge congress to behave within the spirit of the Namibian Constitution, Article 7 on the presumption of innocence of people as read with Article 8,” said Kandere, adding that the leadership remains fully supportive of the government when and how it will conclude its investigations.
The acting president then called on delegates to use the congress as a time to counsel themselves and move forward in unity, and to chart the strategy on how to take the union to greater heights. Although a lot has taken place in Napwu over the past four years, Kandere re-assured delegates that the union has grown from strength to strength.
She said Napwu’s leadership, through strategic retreats and annualised meetings, addressed key issues of tactical importance to the day-to-day running of the union in between the congresses, and that guided by a clear mission and values, the leadership kept mapping out safe routes to reach its extrapolative goals. “Such leadership intervention ensured that membership kept increasing, especially during the time when our rivals were hallucinating about our downfall because of challenges that confronted us,” said Kandere.
Meanwhile, during the two-day congress, the union’s newsletter, ‘The voiced of NAPWU’ which will amongst others contain details of the CEC report, will also be launched.
About 300 delegates from the country’s 13 regions are attending the congress, taking place under the theme ‘Workers unite for better living conditions’.