Claims of election fraud surface at Opuwo

ALLEGATIONS of a fraudulent voters’ roll at Opuwo have stalled the swearing-in of new town councillors.

Among the alleged illegal registrations is a headman at Otjerunda and a Windhoek Police officer. According to a Police report, during last week’s Local Authority elections at Opuwo, at least 25 people allegedly turned out not to be bona fide voters.Irregularities were allegedly picked up prior to Friday’s elections but, because of time constraints, the whole list could not be verified in the run-up to the polls.In a petition to the town’s magistrate H Salionga this week, the Swapo District Office claimed that people were transported from outside the town to vote last Friday.According to Swapo’s Opuwo district co-ordinator Mannase Hihanguapo, the party lodged complaints against the illegal registration of people during both registration periods, but nothing came of their calls for these to be investigated.On election day, they once again raised objections with the Directorate of Elections, claiming that the DTA had fetched Ovahimba people living in rural areas to vote at the town.The party has said it will not accept the election results that give Swapo, the Congress of Democrats and the DTA two seats each on the council.The other one went to Nudo.According to the ECN, 3 104 voters were registered and 1 834 votes were counted.Salionga has agreed to hold off on inaugurating a new council while the matter is investigated.”I agree with the petition that there are possible grounds in their petition and, as such, the exercise will be halted for an indefinite period until the issue is resolved,” Salionga wrote in a letter to the Opuwo town clerk on Tuesday.This week the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Nangolo Mbumba, who is assigned to the upper Kunene Region, also joined the fray.He wrote to Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing Joel Kaapanda on behalf of other MPs representing Kunene, as well as the Opuwo district executive members of the party and the seven party candidates, saying the request was based on the fact that some people residing outside Opuwo were allegedly allowed to register and vote.Deputy Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing Gerhard Tötemeyer and the Director of Elections, Phillemon Kanime, both said yesterday that the onus rested on the magistrate to take action on the matter and to decide whether or not to swear in the new councillors based on the election results.According to a Police report, during last week’s Local Authority elections at Opuwo, at least 25 people allegedly turned out not to be bona fide voters.Irregularities were allegedly picked up prior to Friday’s elections but, because of time constraints, the whole list could not be verified in the run-up to the polls.In a petition to the town’s magistrate H Salionga this week, the Swapo District Office claimed that people were transported from outside the town to vote last Friday.According to Swapo’s Opuwo district co-ordinator Mannase Hihanguapo, the party lodged complaints against the illegal registration of people during both registration periods, but nothing came of their calls for these to be investigated.On election day, they once again raised objections with the Directorate of Elections, claiming that the DTA had fetched Ovahimba people living in rural areas to vote at the town.The party has said it will not accept the election results that give Swapo, the Congress of Democrats and the DTA two seats each on the council.The other one went to Nudo.According to the ECN, 3 104 voters were registered and 1 834 votes were counted.Salionga has agreed to hold off on inaugurating a new council while the matter is investigated.”I agree with the petition that there are possible grounds in their petition and, as such, the exercise will be halted for an indefinite period until the issue is resolved,” Salionga wrote in a letter to the Opuwo town clerk on Tuesday.This week the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Nangolo Mbumba, who is assigned to the upper Kunene Region, also joined the fray.He wrote to Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing Joel Kaapanda on behalf of other MPs representing Kunene, as well as the Opuwo district executive members of the party and the seven party candidates, saying the request was based on the fact that some people residing outside Opuwo were allegedly allowed to register and vote.Deputy Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing Gerhard Tötemeyer and the Director of Elections, Phillemon Kanime, both said yesterday that the onus rested on the magistrate to take action on the matter and to decide whether or not to swear in the new councillors based on the election results.