Unpaid election vehicle owners await ECN payment amid growing frustrations

The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) still owes over 3 000 people for the leasing of vehicles during the 2024 presidential and National Assembly elections.

ECN spokesperson De Wet Siluka confirmed this yesterday, saying the number of payments to be processed caused the delay. However, he noted that the number of drivers exceeds 3 000.

“I think it was the volume of payments that we had to process. We had to prioritise the payment of polling officials, which was already done and then returning officers,” he said.

One of the car owners, who opted to remain anonymous due to fear of repercussions, yesterday told The Namibian they were expecting to be paid by Christmas, despite no specific date being agreed on.

“It has been now 30-something days that [we] have not received our payment, and to make matters worse, some of us hired drivers to drive our cars.”

He said he hired a driver who is expecting to be paid, while other vehicle owners had to borrow or hire items required by the ECN.

“We have these people who need to be paid back. People had to borrow money to fuel their cars and now we have to pay back,” he said.

“Some people hired canopies because the cars were required to have canopies… [or they] borrowed canopies. Some of them went to hire companies to hire out canopies,” he added.

The vehicle owner asserted that the ECN would likely have already paid a car rental company had the commission procured vehicles directly from such a business.

“But [not] individuals, people that are also struggling to make ends meet and have bills to pay.

And now schools are starting, parents [need to buy] stationery and send their children to school,” he said. Siluka blamed government processes for the payment delay.

“To load them on the government payment system, [names] needed to be sent to the finance minister to be registered as vendors.”

Siluka also said they need to recommend, sign and collect their documents.

“That is the proof of their bank, their identity document and the letter from them stating that it is their accounts, and then we send that to the finance minister to initiate them on the government payment system.”

The ECN required eligible vehicles to be roadworthy, not more than 10 years old, and either single or double cab 2×4 or 4×4 with a canopy.

The daily rates for the cars were as follows:

• Urban areas: N$1 350

• Semi urban to rural areas: N$1 550

• Hard-to-reach areas: N$2 050

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