Africa-Press – Namibia. The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has noted a low turnout in the supplementary voter registration process in several Khomas constituencies.
Katutura Central
At Katutura Community Hall, the registration team, led by Saima Shivute, has been working since 04 August.
Registration ends on 19 August.
This statutory electoral activity is crucial to ensuring that every eligible citizen participates in the upcoming 2025 Regional Councils and Local Authorities elections by registering to vote in their respective constituencies, town councils, municipalities and village councils.
When our crew visited the Katutura Community Hall last week, the atmosphere was calm, but turnout remained slow.
“It’s very slow compared to last year’s general registration,” Shivute admitted.
“Today [Thursday] we’ve only received one applicant so far,” she said.
Despite the slow flow, the team opens early, sometimes as early as 6h30, to prepare and ensure all machines are ready.
Shivute urged Katutura residents who lost or damaged their voter cards or who did not register last year to make their way to the centre.
“We’re here from 8h00 to 19h00 every day,” she said, noting that the team would soon move to the Katutura Old Age Home.
Windhoek North
Meanwhile, at Windhoek North playground, Alvin Kuutondokwa, team leader for Windhoek North constituency, painted a similar picture.
“They are coming one by one. But Namibians like to come last minute,” he said.
Kuutondokwa stressed that even when people arrive just before the centre closes, they are still accommodated.
“If they’re in the queue by 19h00, we register them all,” he assured.
He called on all eligible voters, especially first-time voters, to take advantage of this opportunity.
“We’ll be here until the 11th,” he said.
After that, his team will move to another location.
Windhoek West
Inside the fixed registration point at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, team leader Alexander Mungendje reported a good turnout, mostly among the youth.
“So far, we haven’t received any older people,” he said. He clarified a common misunderstanding among applicants, as people cannot change their details at any point, only where they originally registered.
The team is equipped with working machines and reported zero technical disruptions. “Everything is 10 out of 10,” Mugenji affirmed.
Voter education
Also, at NUST, voter education efforts were in full swing.
Nalisa Mutemwa, a voter education officer for Khomas, spoke of how enthusiastic students are at the ECN gazebo.
“Most of the students here qualify to be voters. We’re providing them with information booklets, registration requirements and details of all registration venues,” he enthused.
He said young people have questions about the elections.
“Young people are coming. They’re asking questions and they’re taking information seriously,” Mutemwa said.
“We’re here to make sure they understand what’s needed, where to register and why their vote matters,” he added.
The outreach is part of a broader plan to reach all constituencies in Khomas before the deadline.
After that, the focus will shift to educating voters on the actual elections.
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