By Josephina Shikongo and Noreen Sitali
THE Oshikoto Region has gained an additional constituency as a result of the work of the 4th Delimitation Commission.
The new constituency is named after one of the Ondonga traditional chiefs Nehale LyaMpingana, and the centre of this constituency is Okoloti. That is why members of the community met to discuss issues pertaining to the confirmation of the boundaries of the new constituency, as well as where the voter registration points should be located ahead of the upcoming general elections. The meeting took place on January 10 at Hedimbi Primary School in Okoloti.
The meeting was attended by the Onayena constituency councillor, Marx Nekongo and the Swapo Party district coordinator in the Oshikoto Region Armas Amukwiyu, who made it clear that the meeting was called by the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) team and the constituency councillors to acquaint themselves with issues and facts on the ground concerning the borders of the Nehale LyaMpingana constituency. The Nehale lyaMpingana constituency is bordered by four other constituencies namely, Guinas, Omuthiya gwiipundi, Eengodi and Okankolo. The community was informed that the villages between the Eengodi and Nehale LyaMpingana constituencies form the exact spot between the Omupupa and Omunghudi trees, Omunghudi being the one in Nehale lyaMpingana constituency, while Omupupa is in Eengodi followed by Onanime village to the east, Onanyege village, Tate Shixupulo’s farm, while the road between Onanguwo and Ofilu separate the two constituencies. Villages that are bordered by Okankolo and Nehale lyaMpinga are Onanime and Okanatuwena, while the Guinas constituency borders Farm 6. The councillor of the Omuthiya constituency Armas Amukoto highlighted that, in spite of the new constituency, employment opportunities will be available to everyone, which means that members of the communities in the surrounding villages will also benefit from job opportunities that will open up as long as they meet the requirements. Besides job creation, the new constituency will also bring about other developments, including roads infrastructure, water and electricity, he said. ECN official Mika Alugodhi explained the importance of acquiring new voters’ cards, emphasizing that the old voters registration cards will no longer be in use and will therefore be invalid for use in the upcoming elections. He urged all councillors to inform and educate community members on the changes pertaining to the new registration points, especially in the Nehale lyaMpinga constituency, which does not have a councillor yet. The Swapo Party mobilizer in the Oshikoto Region Armas Amukwiyu also urged community members to go and register to be able to vote in the upcoming election.
*Shikongo and Sitali work as information officers in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology