IPC joins ballot-tender uproar

The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) has joined other opposition parties objecting to the awarding of a ballot paper printing tender to the controversy marred South African company, Ren-Form.

IPC general secretary Christine !Aochamus told The Namibian on Friday the objections first started when the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) declared an emergency tender process for ballot papers.

“Our suspicions were spot on. We aired our dismay on the ECN’s insistence on cancelling the earlier process of procurement of ballot papers. When we objected to that, I raised a question of which law permitted the ECN to abandon the previous process. To this day I have not received a response, and now these stories come out,” she said.

!Aochamus claimed Swapo attempted to shift the spotlight to the IPC when the ECN made the announcement.

“Yesterday, when they informed us about this decision, the Swapo secretary general jumped up and said the IPC and ECN are in cahoots. Now, with the revelation of this Zimbabwean connection, I am of the opinion that we were deflecting her party’s spotlight,” she added.

!Aochamus questioned the various visits Swapo party members have made to Zimbabwe in recent months.

“We have had senior members of Swapo, starting with the husband of the candidate, going to Zimbabwe to witness a wedding of some senior official in the Zanu-PF government. This was followed by the secretary general herself. “Just recently, we had the minister of labour travelling to Zimbabwe, and we don’t know in which capacity.

“We are going to object. I don’t know how far it will go. There is so much going on, and they are using the time factor to try and make whatever sinister plans they have with these elections.”