Extended voting saga: A journalist's experience

Network Media Hub reporters wore reflectors during Namibia’s presidential and National Assembly Elections on 27 November, which caused several voters to confuse us for law enforcement or electoral officers.At every polling station, I had to shrug off community members who approached me thinking I was an employee of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN).At one polling station, a woman rushed to me, and before I could explain that I was a journalist and not an ECN official, she exclaimed: “I went back home to feed my baby but the queue hasn’t moved yet. Why is it so slow?”In her hand she was holding a small paper with the number 145 written on it. It was given to her by the police officer overseeing the voting process at Evululuko Senior Secondary School (SSS) in the Oshakati East constituency. On Friday, Namibians who were unable to vote on Wednesday were given another chance to cast their votes, when president Nangolo Mbumba, on the recommendation of the ECN, extended the voting period by two days. “I am going back home to get my baby,” she continued, explaining her dilemma. “This queue is not moving. And if I stay too long, she will go hungry. Can I not be allowed in quicker if I show I have a small baby?”I responded: “You should be allowed in. But I don’t work here, I am a journalist...” but before I could complete my sentence, she had dashed off. This woman is just one of many voters who felt frustrated as they waited in long lines for four to six hours on average to cast their votes. The presiding officer at the polling station, Sakeus Shipanga, said although they opened their gates at 07h00 as per the rules, they only received their voting materials, which were still being transported from Windhoek, shortly after 11h00. Luise Hangula from Oshandubala in the Oshakati East constituency was one of the first to cast her ballots during the second round of voting. She said she was unimpressed at having to wait so long, especially after she was unable to vote on Wednesday due to the voter verification machine freezing just as she was next in line. Hangula said she attempted to vote at several other polling stations but the queues were “extremely long”, and she was worried about her children being left unattended at home. “I came here at 05h00. I was not feeling well when I did not cast my vote on Wednesday. Hence, I made sure to be early today,” Hangula said. Commotion on day two of second round of voting A commotion occurred at the Evululuko SSS polling station after Swapo officials reportedly bused voters in from the Kavango regions. Members of opposition parties prevented them from voting and accused them of not being Namibians. The voters were brought to the polling station in buses belonging to Emangweni and Namib Contract Houlage. The latter is a company owned by Swapo. Kalimbo Iipumbu of the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) said the voters who arrived in the first bus were allowed to vote, but party agents became suspicious when the second bus arrived. "We got a tip-off from our members, the party agents, [that] the buses had been coming since yesterday. None of them could give or show us their voter’s card. None had an identity document and none spoke any local language," he said. “This is our democracy and if we allow them [Swapo] to bring victory by rigging, just because they want to win ... It is worrying and will disturb the peace and stability of our country. Swapo is undermining the systems of our country,” he said. Swapo member Hofni Iipinge, who accompanied the buses, got into a verbal altercation with some members of the public. He was subsequently manhandled by opposition members and had to be rescued by police officers. The buses left the polling station, only to return an hour later, when the passengers were allowed to vote under the guard of the Special Reserve Force.Swapo Party Youth League secretary Ephraim Nekongo over the weekend said the party rejects the allegations and narrative that the party is collaborating with the ECN to rig the elections. Nekongo said Swapo is committed to ensuring the electoral process remains transparent, credible and fair. #NamibiaDecides2024PHOTOS: TUYEIMO HAIDULA

Extended voting saga: A journalist's experience

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Namibian Sun 2024-12-04

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Extended voting saga: A journalist's experience

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Namibian Sun 2024-12-04

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