School kids ‘smuggled’ onto Omuthiya voters’ roll

ALLEGATIONS made by a human rights organisation that school children near Omuthiya had to tell their principal whether they would vote for Swapo have been denied by the school.

According to the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), the principal of Ekulo Senior Secondary School (ESSS) just outside Omuthiya allegedly forced children in the top grades to tell him whether they had registered as voters for the Omuthiya municipal election. He also is said to have asked them whether they would vote for the ruling Swapo Party.”This is not true, instead we wanted to prevent people registering fraudulently, as we were told some learners from Ekulo school had registered to vote in the Omuthiya municipal elections,” headmaster Robert Nghishekwa told The Namibian yesterday.”There were some young people living elsewhere registering as voters and they apparently said they were from our school.We had to check that,” Nghishekwa added.The school principal was on leave last week but is said to have arrived at the Ekulu school between 08h00 and 09h00 on Friday, going from class to class demanding to know from Grade 10, 11 and 12 pupils whether they had registered to vote.He had a list of names of all the pupils in each class, according to eyewitnesses and human rights monitors.But Nghishekwa said he merely asked the pupils whether they had registered so that he could check their names on the voters’ roll.”People from outside cannot just register as voters and say they are from our school when they are not.Only people living inside the municipal boundaries of Omuthiya, including our school, can register.It is wrongdoing if people pretend they are learners at our school but are from elsewhere and try to get included in the voters’ roll.”The school principal also denied that he had asked pupils if they would vote for Swapo.”That is not correct, I did not ask that,” he said.In a statement issued this week, the NSHR called on the Electoral Commission to investigate the ESSS allegations as a matter of urgency.”Clearly if this allegation is true then it is clear that Swapo is using the election postponement to see how many people would vote for them,” the NSHR said.He also is said to have asked them whether they would vote for the ruling Swapo Party.”This is not true, instead we wanted to prevent people registering fraudulently, as we were told some learners from Ekulo school had registered to vote in the Omuthiya municipal elections,” headmaster Robert Nghishekwa told The Namibian yesterday.”There were some young people living elsewhere registering as voters and they apparently said they were from our school.We had to check that,” Nghishekwa added.The school principal was on leave last week but is said to have arrived at the Ekulu school between 08h00 and 09h00 on Friday, going from class to class demanding to know from Grade 10, 11 and 12 pupils whether they had registered to vote.He had a list of names of all the pupils in each class, according to eyewitnesses and human rights monitors.But Nghishekwa said he merely asked the pupils whether they had registered so that he could check their names on the voters’ roll.”People from outside cannot just register as voters and say they are from our school when they are not.Only people living inside the municipal boundaries of Omuthiya, including our school, can register.It is wrongdoing if people pretend they are learners at our school but are from elsewhere and try to get included in the voters’ roll.”The school principal also denied that he had asked pupils if they would vote for Swapo.”That is not correct, I did not ask that,” he said.In a statement issued this week, the NSHR called on the Electoral Commission to investigate the ESSS allegations as a matter of urgency.”Clearly if this allegation is true then it is clear that Swapo is using the election postponement to see how many people would vote for them,” the NSHR said.