Kanime ‘on his way out’

OUTGOING Director of Elections Philemon Kanime says he is disappointed in the way the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) dealt with his departure.

Kanime has been on special leave since April this year after controversy erupted around the Omuthiya local authority election, which is now set to take place on September 26. Kanime, who is counting his days, said he had accepted the fact that the commissioners wanted someone else to run elections in Namibia but found the way they handled his case extremely distasteful.”I have even told the appointing authority [President Hifikepunye Pohamba] that the whole thing and my special leave was not handled well.He did not agree and said it was special leave but I told him that I am on suspension.I said those are just words people play with,” Kanime told The Namibian yesterday.For him, come the end of this month, “it will be the end of my connection with the ECN”.Kanime said he had the option of taking the ECN to court because of the way in which they got rid of him but had opted not to do so.”I did not want public squabbles and court papers thrown around,” he said.He was suspended shortly after Swapo claimed he smuggled a Rally for Democracy and Progress candidate, Magnus Nangombe, onto the voters’ roll for the election of the first Town Council of Omuthiya.Kanime hit back by claiming that he did not know how Swapo had got hold of the first list but was sure that Nangombe had registered in time.Kanime and two others were subsequently suspended for an unspecified time.No disciplinary hearing had taken place but the others returned to work while the ECN started looking for a replacement for Kanime.The ECN has short-listed acting Director of Elections, Moses Ndjarakana, ECN commissioner Andrew Nghidinwa, Magistrate Rachel Nathanael, Labour Commissioner Bro-Mathew Shinguadja and former Auditor General Fanuel Tjingaete.The final choice will be decided once the five have been interviewed by the ECN and appeared before a special Parliamentary committee that will recommend the appointment to President Pohamba.Meanwhile, the ECN announced yesterday that it had registered an additional 206 voters during last week’s supplementary registration at Omuthiya and that the roll would be available for inspection for a week from tomorrow.Acting Director of Elections Ndjarakana said the voters’ roll would be available at the ECN offices in NDC building (Windhoek) and the voter education office in the Ministry of Agriculture building at Omuthiya.Those people on the voters’ roll whose names were challenged will get a chance to state their case in front of Magistrate Peter Nangula of Tsumeb between July 24 and August 7.Parties will submit the names of their candidates between August 13 and 27.Kanime, who is counting his days, said he had accepted the fact that the commissioners wanted someone else to run elections in Namibia but found the way they handled his case extremely distasteful.”I have even told the appointing authority [President Hifikepunye Pohamba] that the whole thing and my special leave was not handled well.He did not agree and said it was special leave but I told him that I am on suspension.I said those are just words people play with,” Kanime told The Namibian yesterday.For him, come the end of this month, “it will be the end of my connection with the ECN”. Kanime said he had the option of taking the ECN to court because of the way in which they got rid of him but had opted not to do so.”I did not want public squabbles and court papers thrown around,” he said.He was suspended shortly after Swapo claimed he smuggled a Rally for Democracy and Progress candidate, Magnus Nangombe, onto the voters’ roll for the election of the first Town Council of Omuthiya.Kanime hit back by claiming that he did not know how Swapo had got hold of the first list but was sure that Nangombe had registered in time.Kanime and two others were subsequently suspended for an unspecified time.No disciplinary hearing had taken place but the others returned to work while the ECN started looking for a replacement for Kanime.The ECN has short-listed acting Director of Elections, Moses Ndjarakana, ECN commissioner Andrew Nghidinwa, Magistrate Rachel Nathanael, Labour Commissioner Bro-Mathew Shinguadja and former Auditor General Fanuel Tjingaete.The final choice will be decided once the five have been interviewed by the ECN and appeared before a special Parliamentary committee that will recommend the appointment to President Pohamba.Meanwhile, the ECN announced yesterday that it had registered an additional 206 voters during last week’s supplementary registration at Omuthiya and that the roll would be available for inspection for a week from tomorrow.Acting Director of Elections Ndjarakana said the voters’ roll would be available at the ECN offices in NDC building (Windhoek) and the voter education office in the Ministry of Agriculture building at Omuthiya.Those people on the voters’ roll whose names were challenged will get a chance to state their case in front of Magistrate Peter Nangula of Tsumeb between July 24 and August 7.Parties will submit the names of their candidates between August 13 and 27.