NYC and affiliates fling lawsuits
Affiliates refuse to recognise board
The high court in Windhoek granted the National Youth Council of Namibia (NYC) an interdict on Monday against NYC affiliates that protested at the NYC building last Friday. This interdict forbids the protesters from disrupting proceedings of the interim council, locking office doors, turning off the power, intimidating the interim council, and restricts access to the NYC premises.“They are trying to silence us with this interdict,” says Julia Nekwaya - one of the persons named in court the order, along with William Minnie and Jafet Amakali. The three of them have given notice to the court that they will oppose this order. The parties involved will appear in court again on 18 February.
Friday protest
The interim director Beverly Silas-!Garas brought this urgent application to the court after the named parties, along with a group of about 50 protestors, allegedly “stormed” the building. “The group moved directly to my office. Recognising the potential threat, I locked myself inside the office to ensure my safety.”
Silas-!Garas reportedly called the police to help calm the protesters, but according to her, "their behaviour remained aggressive.”
The affiliates denied any intent of harm. According to Nekwaya, the group of protesters showed up on Friday to prevent what they believed to be an attempt by the interim board to reinstate former director of the NYC Calista Schwartz-Gowases. The interim board has denied that the reinstatement of Schwartz-Gowases was on the agenda.
Schwartz-Gowases was suspended last year in March after allegations of misconduct.
‘Illegal board’
“We do not recognise a Silas-!Garas board,” Nekwaya said. She claims that this board, instated by the minister of sport, youth and national service Agnes Tjongerero was instated illegally instead of the Simon Taapopi board that the affiliates elected on Friday 6 December 2024 in Rietfontein.
Tjongerero did not certify the Simon Taapopi-led board, citing a directive issued on her behalf by her personal assistant Jessica Gaomuses on Thursday evening 5 December 2024 - hours before the vote was scheduled. This directive suspended the previous board for repeated non-compliance.
The affiliates hold that this directive is not binding and that it only suspends the old board, and not the election of a new board. This is the reason cited for not recognising the Silas-!Garas board.
Monday protest
The group of protesters continued their display of opposition against the interim board on Monday. Protesters showed up to the NYC building only to find themselves locked out. They proceeded to sit in front of the building in the shade.
“We do not want to be called hooligans again,” Nekwaya and Minnie told this publication. “We will sit here peacefully in the shade - we won’t enter this building,” they continued.
Zawady Tjijombo who was also present at the Monday protest said that they aren’t trying to fight the NYC, but that they feel like they aren’t being listened to. “It feels like we aren’t being heard by a person that we respect,” she said in reference to the youth minister, Agnes Tjongerero.