Popular Democratic Movement Youth League leaders, which includes secretary general Benson Katjirijova and his deputy Felicia Motinga, were relieved of their duties following a meeting by the party’s top six.
PDM secretary general Manuel Ngaringombe announced yesterday at a press conference the two youth league leaders were stripped of the duties because they were above 35 years, contrary to the rules of the party.
Katjirijova is 40, while Motinga is 38. Ngaringombe said it was important to relieve them from their positions in the PDMYL to allow them to effectively and efficiently exercise their duties in the national executive committee (NEC) of the mother body, where they serve as secretary for organisation and mobilisation and secretary for gender equality and female empowerment respectively.
Katjirijova was replaced by Yvette Araes while Motinga was replaced by Vakamuina Kamutuezu, who will act in those positions for a period of six months, while the youth league prepares for the national congress cancelled late last year due to unaccredited delegates presented at the congress and other irregularities.
Kamutuezu currently serves as the youth wing secretary for finance on the management committee while Araes serves as the deputy secretary general.
Ngaringombe said the party’s top six further resolved to disband all 14 regional executive committees which were restructured during the run up to the failed national congress last year with immediate effect.
“We resolved that the management committee of the youth league should undertake a new restructuring process that should begin from the branch, constituency and regional level,” he said.
This, he said, will ensure that not only are the constitutional structures of the PDMYL intact and functional, but also to avoid the fracas that led to the collapse of last year’s national congress.
“The management committee of the youth league will now draft a road map to ensure that this exercise is completed within the next six months before the national congress is convened,” said Ngaringombe.
Furthermore, Ngaringombe said, to ensure a smooth, transparent and accountable restructuring process, the party’s top leadership also resolved to appoint a working committee that will oversee the work of the management committee of the PDMYL during the restructuring process, which is required to report to the top six. The working committee comprises PDM’s justice shadow minister and member of parliament (MP) Timotheus Shihumbu as the chairperson, party presidential spokesperson Roberto Dirkse and PDM acting administrative secretary, Lahja Nashuuta as additional members.
Ngaringombe further urged youth league leaders to maintain a spirit of high morale and high discipline and to conform to the provisions of the PDMYL constitution to reconvene the national congress.
“We are a party that values the legality of its internal processes, and the leadership of the mother body urges you, the PDMYL, to strictly abide to this and to not engage in illegal and untoward exercises for power.
“We will, moving forward, not hesitate to take action against members of the PDMYL who are found wanting in this regard,” he said.
He said the leadership is of the view that the rank and file of the PDMYL must actively be engaged in contemporary issues of youth unemployment, access to education and funding, gender-based violence, mental health and well-being as well as the question of intergenerational transitions, and not just be engaged in the exercise of power grabbing and mongering.
“We urge you to ensure that you protect the image and integrity of the PDM in general and the PDMYL in particular. We are confident that the rank and file of the PDMYL will do just that,” he concluded.