Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) president McHenry Venaani says Swapo presidential candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has a tendency of not voicing her opinion on alleged corruption.
He accuses the vice president and Swapo of habitually protecting corrupt deals.
Venaani said this yesterday at the PDM’s petition handover protesting the Electoral Commission of Namibia’s decision to award a tender to Johannesburg-based company Ren-Form CC to print ballot papers for the upcoming elections.
The company is mired in corruption scandals in Zimbabwe.
“With all due respect . . . you have made it a custom in your party that everything corrupt is always protected.
On everything corrupt you never have an opinion,” Venaani said.
He said Nandi-Ndaitwah did not have an opinion on the Fishrot fraud and corruption fishing quota scandal either.
“Why are you not questioning this and saying ‘guys, why pick a corruption-tainted company?’ Why is Swapo just mum? We will not allow corruption,” Venaani said.
When approached for comment yesterday, Nandi-Ndaitwah directed questions to Swapo’s spokesperson. “Speak to Swapo’s secretary of information about this, please,” she said.
‘GIVING ECN TIME’
Swapo deputy secretary general Uahekua Herunga yesterday said the party has remained quiet to allow the ECN to carry out its mandate independently.
“When we are quiet, the opposition parties are concerned, when we talk they are concerned. I know if we say something, they are going to say we pressured the ECN,” he said.
“We are hearing the company is involved in corruption, but the question is: Who has found the company corrupt? Which high court of which country has [found] the company guilty?”
Political analyst Ben Mulongeni says it’s concerning that the ruling party is silent on the issue.
“The fact that the company is rumoured to have been involved in some corruption scandals is enough for all of us to be concerned,” he says.
Mulongeni says Venaani has the right to ask why Swapo is not raising concerns.
He says if the ECN wants to be impartial, it must distance itself from the alleged corrupt company.
‘LOST INTEGRITY’
Venaani, addressing ECN chief referenda officer Peter Shaama, yesterday said the ECN is eroding the integrity of Namibia’s elections.
“Mr referenda officer, I am warning you that referenda officers have taken countries to war. Every step you take … be cautious of maintaining peace, stability and free and fair elections. “This place has lost integrity. You are a body that is firing at will, hiring at will, with no concern for procedure,” he said.
Venaani accused the ECN of using the excuse of an emergency process to hire Ren-Form, instead of following a public tender process for the printing of ballot papers.
“Shame on the ECN . . . We are not supposed to stand here in front of you giving petitions. We are supposed to campaign,” he said.
After yesterday’s petition handover in Windhoek, Shaama refused to take questions from the media and said: “We have received the petition and will submit it to the relevant authorities.”
DEMANDS
The PDM is demanding the immediate termination of Ren-Form CC’s contract, and calls for an independent investigation into the ECN’s procurement process.
The party further said an independent inquiry must identify any irregularities or negligence in the procurement process and hold accountable those responsible for this gross oversight.
Venaani said moving forward, the ECN must enforce rigorous due diligence checks and anti-corruption safeguards in all future procurement processes.
“This includes establishing a transparent vetting system that disqualifies any entity with a history of corrupt practices or unresolved investigations,” he said.
The PDM was one of the political parties which chose not to travel to South Africa to monitor the design and printing of ballot papers by Ren-Form CC.
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