Africa-Press – Namibia. LANDLESS People’s Movement (LPM) deputy leader Henny Seibeb has accused the minister of home affairs, immigration, safety and security, Albert Kawana, of suspicious behaviour given that he will be handing out identity cards at Swakopmund on Friday, when a constituency by-election takes place at the town.
Seibeb says it is suspect for Kawana to be at Swakopmund on the day of the by-election.
“It’s wasting time, and maybe trying to influence the ECN here. It is our suspicion that he is coming to influence Theo Mujoro and the ECN’s presiding officers,” Seibeb says.
He says the ministry could have couriered the ID cards to the region and have a regional government official or the governor do the handover.
“It does not require a minister from the central government to drive to Swakopmund to do those things. It wastes time,” he says.
Ministry spokesperson Sakeus Kadhikwa yesterday invited reporters in the Erongo region to the handover ceremony.
“Albert Kawana will be undertaking an official mission to Erongo region on 12 August to hand over the identity documents of Swakopmund fire victims at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security’s regional office from 11h00.
“The media at the coast can come to cover this event,” he said.
Kawana yesterday denied the allegations, saying he is visiting the coast for meetings with stakeholders.
He said the handover event is one of the activities he would participate in, and he has no reason to interfere with the elections.
“I have not made an appointment with the ECN, and I have no business with them.
“I am one of those Namibians who believe in free and fair, transparent and credible elections,” he said.
Meanwhile, LPM election observer for the upcoming Swakopmund constituency by-election Bruce Fredericks claims an Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) seal on one of the ballot boxes for the event arrived at the town on Sunday was broken.
The by-election will take place on Friday.
Fredericks says the seal involved is no 115.
“It is an ECN seal, which is the most important one. I looked through all the seals, and I said they must lock it, and they locked it again,” he says.
ECN spokesperson Liina Ndengu this week denied that the seal was broken.
She said it was not properly fastened when it left Windhoek.
The ECN normally puts its seal on the ballot box first, followed by contesting parties’ seals.
“At no stage, even when they arrived at Swakopmund, was the seal broken. It was just not properly tightened.
“But the ballot was never opened or exposed, because all political parties that were present verified the seal,” she said.
Ndengu said everything else was in order, and the political parties verified the remaining ballot boxes as well.
Party leader Bernadus Swartbooi is also concerned about the mobile polling station, which he believes could make the rigging of the election possible.
Mobile polling stations will be available at Nonidas, the Goanikontes camping site, old-age homes, hospitals, and the local police station.
“Why should there be no honesty in the election? When will Africa have honesty in elections?
“Let us go and tell the nation what we will do, and leave the decision in their [the ECN’s] hands. But we want to do other things while we are incapable of leading,” he says.
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