Festus Hamalwa
Otniel Hembapu
With less than five days before Namibians head to the polls, police supremo Joseph Shikongo says everything is in place for his charges to maintain law and order.
His sentiments were echoed by Otjozondjupa regional commander Phillip Hidengwa, who said police teams had been deployed to various planned polling areas in the region.
Shikongo said the sale of alcohol on election day, which has been gazetted as a public holiday, is prohibited.
Cometh 27 November, law and order will be maintained, both Shikongo and Hidengwa emphasised.
“Bars should not open on election day to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to cast their vote. When bars are open, it can lead to people gathering there instead of going to vote,” Shikongo said yesterday. He stressed that anyone found selling alcohol on that day will face the full wrath of the law. However, food and non-alcoholic beverages can be sold at the polling stations. “People need to eat and drink water or soft drinks while in the queue,” he said.
“People should adhere to regulations implemented by the police. The police are ready to maintain order at the polling stations,” he stated, adding that the men and women in uniform will be on high alert to ensure liquor outlets adhere to the directive to the letter.
“Police officers should cooperate with the public. I don’t want to hear about conflicts between people and the police at the polling stations,” he noted. The police chief described the elections as a special occasion, which therefore should be conducted peacefully.
Party colours
Shikongo furthermore urged Namibians not to wear political party attire at the polling stations.
Last month, Swapo politburo member Pohamba Shifeta warned voters against drinking alcohol before going to the polling stations on 27 November, as this may lead them to making mistakes. “When a person is drunk, he or she may forget to vote for the Swapo Party. Let’s not allow alcohol to confuse us against voting for Swapo,” he said.
Election day
On the day when more than 1.3 million Namibians are expected to cast their votes in the Presidential and National Assembly elections nationwide, NamPol officers will safeguard over 200 mobile and fixed polling stations regionwide in Otjozondjupa, Hidengwa said.
“We are ready, as we have all points covered across the region. As you know, Otjozondjupa is a very big region, but I can assure you that we have everything well-planned. The cooperation between us as the Force and the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) is great, and that makes everyone’s job easy. Namibians should go out and cast their votes on 27 November, as we will be on the ground to make sure there is law and order at all polling stations. We will be on high alert,” he continued.
Just as they conducted themselves well during the voters’ registration period, Hidengwa expects the same level of cooperation and order from members of the public and stakeholders.
“I must again emphasise the importance of maintaining law and order during the elections, as things can get very emotional sometimes.
The problem is mostly caused by those who come late at polling stations and expect to get assistance in just a few minutes; that’s not how things work. That is why I have been urging members of the public to go out as early as possible, and make sure they cast their votes in an orderly manner. Coming late at polling stations causes congestion and frustration; let’s avoid that,” the senior police officer said.
“November 27 is a public holiday countrywide, as all registered Namibians will be voting on that day. So, the sale of alcohol is prohibited. Those found with or selling alcohol at polling stations will be dealt with accordingly. Also, don’t come drunk to polling sites; it could make the work of ECN officials difficult. We won’t tolerate deliberate lawlessness.”
Battleground
Otjozondjupa is one of the few regions where there is considerable opposition support, as has been witnessed in the last three elections.
In the 2004 election for the National Assembly, Swapo won six of the seven constituencies (Grootfontein, Okahandja, Omatako, Otavi, Otjiwarongo and Tsumkwe), with only Okakarara going to the National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo).
Meanwhile, during the 2015 elections, Swapo obtained 58.4% of the votes cast and won five of the seven constituencies, again with Nudo retaining Okakarara and adding Omatako. The same two constituencies (Okakarara and Omatako) went to Nudo in the 2020 election, as Swapo’s support dropped to 44.3%, but the party managed to win the other five constituencies again.