RUNDU – Two men were arrested on Thursday last week at Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) voters supplementary registration point at Sikanduko informal settlement on the south outskirts of Rundu. It is alleged that one of the suspect took a birth certificate of the other and went to register and was issued with a voters card and the owner of the birth certificate also later went to the same registration point with the same document.
Officials noticed that this particular person’s details were already on the system and a voter’s voter card issued to another person. Both men were subsequently arrested.
“Because of the police procedures, both suspects were taken in and it was found that the other one doesn’t have national documents so he then took relative’s birth certificate that he went to use to acquire a voters card. Later, the other person, whose document was used, went to try and get a voter’s card and our officials detected what has happened and involved the police who took them both in terms of police investigations procedures,” said the Kavango East ECN voters registration coordinator Patrick Haingura.
“Our system can’t be cheated, if two or more people try to use the same identity details, it will be detected during our verification process,” Haingura added. He also warned people not to attempt using other people’s documents, as they will be brought to book. In line with Section 38 (1) of the Electoral Act, the supplementary registration of voters is being conducted over 18 days, the supplementary registration started last week Monday from July 8 to 27.
No comment could be obtaied from the police at the time of going to print.