While thousands of Namibian servicemen and women braved the Wednesday heat to cast their special votes this week, Shamani Shikwambi, Natalia Egan, Reagan Kamboua and several other Namibians based across the Atlantic were flying from one State to the other to cast their special votes.

Shikwambi, an academic from Minneapolis, took a two-hour flight from Minnesota to Washington DC, the same flight time as the Windhoek-Joburg flight, to cast his vote for the 2024 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

“It is important that we take part and make sure our voices are heard in the people we are electing, but also know the value of our democratic right as a nation. That’s why we planned and decided to come all the way from our respective places outside DC to do this,” Shikwambi said. 

The college professor added that after the polling station closed, the group chose to wait at the embassy for the results, which were released past midnight. He was over the moon that he did his part and contributed to a continuous democracy for Namibia.

Egan from Kentucky travelled for about 1 000 km to DC.

“I voted because I have a voice, and it is crucial to use that voice to elect a democratic government”, she enthused.Kambouua indicated that democracy is the only factor which put him on a lengthy flight to Washington DC to cast his ballot, stating that “democracy is something that one has to stand for, and voting is the only way.”

Namibia’s ambassador to the US Margaret Mensah-Williams said the embassy had 36 registered voters for the Wednesday special vote. Out of the 50 States in the US, Namibians could only cast their ballots at the mission in Washington DC, or at the permanent mission in New York.

Mensah-Williams, is also accredited to Canada, Costa Rica, Beliz, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Bahamas, El Salvador and Nicaragua, elucidated on the technicalities. “Thirty-three Namibians voted, two are in Namibia, and the others voted in New York. I want to applaud those Namibians who travelled from far to register and vote. One is from Texas, and the other is from Kentucky.  They spent so much money just to fly, and then come and stay in DC overnight and pay for accommodation,” she said, adding that is commendable patriotism. 

–psiririka@nepc.com.na