Rudolf Gaiseb

Eveline de Klerk

Iuze Mukube

Sixty-three-year-old Seraphina //Khamuses is among voters who yesterday arrived early at Ella Du Plessis polling station to vote for this year’s Regional and Local Authorities Elections.

Her reasons for voting are clear; she wants a drastic lifetyle change amongst young people. //Khamuses yearns for better opportunities for them so that they could stay away from drugs and alcohol, she said.

She said the constituency’s incoming councillor should address the alcohol and drug abuse that is eating away their young people.

In other constituencies, the youth are presented with developmental programmes that keep them active and busy, she noted.

“Such sporting and progressive activities must also be introduced to our youth,” she indicated.

//Khamuses relocated to Khomasdal in 1997. She said there’s no development taking place in Khomasdal. Another concern is that she has never met or seen the governors.

“Since I moved here, I have been asking people, ‘Who is our governor?’ but the people don’t know,” she said.

Another senior, Nathanael //Areseb (60), expressed that voting in the Regional and Local Authority Elections has always been a platform enabling him to get involved in the development of his constituencies.

He has been residing in his constituency for approximately 20 years. //Areseb said that physical development has taken place and transformed his area.

However, there is still a presence of shacks across the country. Now, he advocates that with a renewed focus on informal settlements, various political parties who win the elections must work together to upgrade these settlements. He emphasised that it would be a good thing to see.

He believes this should be tackled by involving the community and through community-based organisations, like the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia. 

ECN in Erongo praised for smooth elections

Lost, burned voter cards were some of the challenge’s voters in Erongo experience yesterday during the regional council and local authority elections in Erongo.

A relatively low voter turnout was also observed where by midday, some stations had less that 30 people in the queue while other polling stations did not have any voter in sight.

Some residents were burning with the desire to vote, but could not vote. Fillemon Shilongo is one such unlucky resident. 

He stood quietly at the Jan Wilken Stadium early in the morning with his arm resting on the railing as he stared into the polling station. In his hand was a small white plastic bag containing a few papers. “I can’t vote,” he said, sadness visible in his eyes.

Shilongo told New Era that his shack burned down last Saturday, destroying all his belongings including his voter’s registration card and documents. 

“I really wanted to vote and came here to see if they can help me with the papers, I had but unfortunately the time to apply for a duplicate voter’s card was already over,” he said as he continued watching other residents that were voting.

While Shilongo faced disappointment, other residents described the voting process as being fast and smooth. A young couple who were prepared to spend the entire day at their polling station said they were taken aback by how quickly things moved.

“We packed our cooler box, but we didn’t even need it this time. The process was very fast,” they said.

Abraham Iyambo, who has missed Namibia’s first elections to date shared the same sentiment.

“This was the first elections were the process was very fast. I was expecting to spend the whole day here but I arrived around 06h00 and was already done before 08h00,” he said while applauding the Electoral Commision for the smooth elections. Former Walvis Bay urban constituency councillor Knowledge Ipinge also praised the process for being smooth.

“It’s less than five minutes once you get into the polling station. The process was one of the fastest I have experienced,” he said. 

Goreangab residents vote for development

At a polling station in Goreangab’s Okapale settlement in the Samora Machel constituency, a middle-aged woman shared the grim reality that residents of that area face on a daily basis.

Hileni Johannes, who has been a resident of Goreangab for over a decade now, stated that access to water, electricity, and health facilities still lack in the area.

“We need more change in this area. We need water, electricity, and also municipality must service our land. 

That is why we are here for the elections so that we can get change,” she said.

During the interview, she also indicated that although she voted in 2020, there hasn’t been much change in Goreangab apart from electricity that was provided, albeit on a small scale.

She pleaded for the government to help them to get a clinic, school and police station in the Okapale area because when one is sick, they have to walk to Wanahenda to get treatment.

Johannes also expressed that residents need land to be serviced, noting that she has applied for at least three times for servicing but after 10-years there is still no change.

A first-time voter, Relishia Naowases stated that safety is needed in the area because of an increase of housebreaking in the area.

“I want to see a Namibia that is more independent, and I hope services can be delivered on time in our area,” said the youngling.

Naowases’s concerns echo the frustrations of many residents who were also waiting in line to cast their votes at Okapale. 

Another resident of Goreangab, Stanley Frans, stated that he wanted to convince the youth who show lack of interest in politics to come and vote.

Addressing the youth, he stated that “your employment, poverty, marginalisation, discrimination and option of getting better employment, this is your option, vote.”

Frans stated that if the youth keep running around in the streets, there will not be any special opportunity created for them, but will become primary weak targets, ending up either at Katutura Hospital, Wanahenda police station or Windhoek Central correctional services.

“Find the value in yourself. Find out your weaknesses; don’t say you are a man, you are a woman. 

Come to the voting line, and just stand, get a voter’s card and vote,” he said.