Swapo to fork out at least N$100 000 for congress vote

THE recent election of the Swapo presidential candidate is set to cost the ruling party tens of thousands of dollars as the presiding officer went about ensuring that the event passed without a blemish to his name.

Acting Judge Petrus Damaseb of the law firm Conradie & Damaseb told The Namibian in an interview that he did not think the cost will exceed N$100 000. He is yet to see the invoice from the printing company, Namprint, which printed the ballot papers with the names and pictures of the contenders: Higher Education Minister Nahas Angula, former Foreign Affairs Minister Hidipo Hamutenya and Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba.This amount does not include the actual hosting of the congress.It was the first time Swapo had undertaken such intense inner party competition for a post, a process that threatened to rip the organisation apart.Damaseb set up an elaborate process so that the election – from printing to the announcement of results – would be beyond reproach.”…I will say it is not going to be very very expensive.I’ll be very surprised if the entire process went over N$100 000.I’ll be very surprised.I’m really putting it on the high side,” he added.He is yet to see the invoice from the printing company, Namprint, which printed the ballot papers with the names and pictures of the contenders: Higher Education Minister Nahas Angula, former Foreign Affairs Minister Hidipo Hamutenya and Lands Minister Hifikepunye Pohamba.This amount does not include the actual hosting of the congress.It was the first time Swapo had undertaken such intense inner party competition for a post, a process that threatened to rip the organisation apart.Damaseb set up an elaborate process so that the election – from printing to the announcement of results – would be beyond reproach.”…I will say it is not going to be very very expensive.I’ll be very surprised if the entire process went over N$100 000.I’ll be very surprised.I’m really putting it on the high side,” he added.