Political parties in uproar against SA firm printing ballot papers

WINDHOEK: Opposition political parties have expressed strong discontent with the Electoral Commission of Namibia ( ECN ) regarding its selection of a South African company to print ballot papers for the general elections set for 27 November . The electoral commission announced on Thursday that it has concluded the procurement process of ballot papers for the 2024 Presidential and National Assembly Elections . In a statement , Chairperson of the ECN Elsie Nghikembua stated that the process adhered to Section 33 ( 3 )( b ) of the Public Procurement Act . ' Following a comprehensive evaluation process , Ren - Form CC , headquartered in Johannesburg , South Africa emerged as the most responsive bidder in terms of the set bidding specifications and has been awarded the contract for the design , printing , supply and delivery of ballot papers ,' she said . Political parties were quick to challenge the electoral commission over its pick , with rumours swirling online that the company is owned by a Zimbabwean nationa l , Wicknell Chivayo . Chivayo is reportedly close to Zanu - PF , the country ' s ruling party . Namibia ' s official opposition party , the Popular Democratic Movement ( PDM ), on Thursday objected to the appointment of the supplier , Ren - Form CC . PDM secretary general Manuel Ngaringobe wrote to Nghikembua on Friday , expressing his concern about the company . He pointed to media reports that Ren - Form CC is currently under investigation for inflating prices for election - related materials and equipment for the 2023 general elections in Zimbabwe . ' The PDM is taken aback and highly disturbed that the ECN did not do any due diligence on Ren - Form CC to ensure that the company is best suited to supply election - related materials for the 2024 Presidential and National Assembly Elections ,' Ngaringombe wrote . PDM instructed their lawyers , Theunissen , Louw and Partners , to write a letter of demand to ECN , urging them to withdraw the tender and threatening to take the matter to the High Court . The Landless People ' s Movement ( LPM ) also expressed its objection to the appointment of Ren - Form . On Friday , LPM , through their lawyers Dr Weder , Kauta and Hoveka , demanded that ECN explain its decision to award the bid to Ren - Form . However , Nghikembua wrote back to the LPM , instructing them to direct their demand to the Office of the Government Attorney . The LPM has since requested that the Office of the Government Attorney furnish them with the initial tender , the invitation to Ren - Form and its submission , as well as the award and exemption issued by the Minister of Finance . The party has given the government attorneys until 22 October 2024 to furnish them with the required information . The Independent Patriots for Change ( IPC ) has also requested documents pertaining to Ren - Form CC ' s tender awarding process . The party said the handpicking of the firm is the result of the ECN ' s refusal to follow standard procurement procedures . ' The IPC hereby demands full , public disclosure of all documents relating to the procurement of Ren - Form and implores the Anti - Corruption Commission of Namibia and the media to conduct investigations into the ECN ' s highly controversial appointment of Ren - Form ,' IPC said in statement on Friday . Other political parties including the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters , and the Rally for Democracy and Progress have also objected to the electoral commission hand - picking a company to print ballot papers Source: The Namibia Press Agency