THE RDP opposition party has called for an official investigation into the recent death of an election official, Hezekiel Kandoloma Shigwedha, who died in a horrific motor accident ‘under suspicious circumstances’ on July 31 2010.
His official car hit a bridge pillar along the western bypass in Windhoek in broad daylight and caught fire upon impact.
‘We have heard that the late Shigwedha allegedly ended his life out of fear that a ‘spy device’ was planted on his office telephone either by or with the support of his bosses at the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), that may have enabled certain people to listen to his conversations without his consent and knowledge,’ the RDP said on Friday. ‘Shigwedha’s death follows two deaths under similar circumstances of ECN election agents,’ an unsigned statement by the RDP said.’The second death is that of a nurse at Engela hospital who was an ECN agent during the November 2009 presidential and National Assembly elections, the third one is that of a man who committed suicide at Ongha during the same election,’ the RDP statement said.’It is alleged that this man was first arrested at an election centre at Ongha apparently due to rigging. It seems no inquest was held in both cases and the causes of such deaths are not known to the Namibian public.’Concerned about ‘the increasing trend of mysterious deaths of key persons with fundamental roles in the election process, particularly in pending court cases with potentially far-reaching consequences, the RDP calls on President Hifikepunye Pohamba to take a stand forthwith in order to institute a presidential commission of inquiry to probe the ECN officials’ mysterious deaths to unpack the mystery besieging the freak accidents and suicides that ended the lives of these fellow citizens,’ the RDP demanded. Once the President instituted the probe, the RDP said it wanted to encourage Namibian or non-Namibian citizens with any material information on the activities of the late Shigwedha, and the other ECN employees that warrants investigation, to submit their testimony to the Ombudsman, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and to the presidential commission ‘without fear or favour’.’The RDP also recommends that the investigation process be streamlined and be completed within the shortest possible time and that the outcome be made known to the public as soon the investigation is completed,’ the party added.The RDP said it was extremely concerned about adverse effects such deaths would have on Namibia’s ‘social cohesion, democracy, integrity of electoral processes and the rule of law.’ Local weekly newspaper Informanté reported this month that Shigwedha was allegedly worried his office telephone was bugged and that he allegedly sought protection from an Informanté reporter.’Could there be any material, operational and legal implications posed by the late Shigwedha’s demise to the pending elections court case?’ the RDP asked in its statement.
