WINDHOEK – Registration officials in the Kavango East Region are turning back scores of Angolan citizens who want to register for the upcoming elections.
Registration Coordinator for Kavango East, Michael Kabwata, said the practice of Angolans turning up for registration has been encountered along the Kavango River that divides the two countries. “We have encountered several people at some places wanting to register without any documents and when we probed, we discovered that they were not Namibians. This situation is occurring mainly along the river with a few cases in villages,” Kabwata disclosed. He said his team made it clear that registration is only for Namibian citizens. “Those who do not possess the necessary documents were not registered,” said the coordinator.
Kabwata said eligible voters in Rundu are also struggling to produce water and electricity bills to enable them to register. “Despite that, we are allowing them to present deponents provided that they are in possession of other relevant documents,” he said. According to Kabwata, most of the community members who cannot produce water and electricity bills, opt to register for the Presidential and National Assembly elections only. “There is nothing we can do about that because the law is very clear, if you do not meet the requirements for any of the four elections than you will not be allowed to register,” he said. He said the registration process is progressing well so far, because the teams have managed to educate the communities on the documentation required for someone to register as a voter. In the Kavango West Region, regional coordinator Benjamin Makayi said the only problem is that people go to registration points without any documentation.
“National documents are a big problem because we have people coming here without them. It seems the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration has not managed to provide everyone with national documents,” Makayi noted. According to him the absence of proper documentation makes it difficult for registration officials to determine who is a Namibian citizen and who not. “We have no choice, but to rely on deponents,” said Makayi. “However, things are better than they were at the start, we did not have such reports. The only problem is the issue of national documents, some people go to the registration points attempting to register without the required documents.
By John Muyamba and Mathias Haufiku