The leaders of the Landless People's Movement criticised the Minister of Urban and Rural Development, James Sankwasa, for allegedly intimidating regional and local councillors and attempting to impose the Swapo Party manifesto over constitutional governance.

Minister Sankwasa has, however, defended the government's authority over local authorities.

Some of the allegations against Sankwasa include summoning local LPM councillors to "intimidate and coerce".

In that respect, the minister said the Cabinet adopted the Swapo Party manifesto as a government working document.

Sankwasa challenged the LPM to pursue legal channels if they disagree with the government's interpretation, stating that only legislative bodies or courts can challenge executive decisions.

"When the ruling party took over, it said, This is the way we want to chart the government, so we cannot have a government within a government. Therefore, the manifesto of any other party remains a manifesto of their party, but not a government document to be implemented. This is the understanding that we must have."

LPM's President Bernadus Swartbooi argued that local and regional authorities are constitutionally mandated governing bodies, not subordinate to central government directives.

"The regional councils and local authorities are the only elected structure in this country's three-tier state setup. A cabinet is not an elected body. A cabinet is an appointed body by one elected official called the head of state; in other words, between a minister and a local and regional councillor, there is political differentiation."

Minister Sankwasa, however, emphasised that Namibia's Constitution establishes the country as a "sovereign, secular, democratic unitary state", meaning local authorities cannot claim independence from central government.

He said that councils are established by law and are not autonomous.

"Now, you cannot have a regional council being sovereign within a sovereign state. You cannot have a local authority being sovereign within a sovereign state, because Namibia is one."

The LPM party promised to challenge the minister's leadership using legal, political, and social channels.

The party also wants the prime minister to provide much-needed, tangible, action-based leadership as opposed to what they termed "motivational speeches".