Chief Magistrate Philanda Christiaan has suffered a technical defeat in the High Court after her application in which she challenged LPM councilors was declared not urgent.
Christiaan (39) is the same official that was fined N$2 000 for violating one of the Covid-19 regulations last year after she was stopped at a Windhoek/Okahandja road block, according to a Confidente report.
She is adamant that it is illegal for LPM councilors, Gerrit Witbooi and Anseline Beukes, to occupy positions in the National Council while also being in the management committee of the Kharas regional council.
“I have searched every nook and cranny of applicants’ papers, and I do not find that they have set out explicitly the reason why they claim they could not be afforded substantial redress at a hearing in due course,” says Justice Parker.
LPM has said she is misinterpreting the law, and went on to accuse her of bullying magistrate Unchen Konjore to undo the process which she presided over which saw the two councilors being voted into the management committee.
Konjore is listed as 13th respondent and Chief magistrate Christiaan 1st applicant.
The two councilors were booted out of the national council and they have the option to resign, according to LPM’s second in command, Henny Seibeb.
Seibeb and Bernardus Swartbooi have aired that this is a political fight for Swapo to get an upper hand despite an LPM victory in Kharas, and believe that the application was politically motivated.
With the case now having been declared not urgent, it is not clear when the court process will come to completion and what the future of the two councilors is.
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