Katima mulilo: Senior village headman of the Mwambezi and Gunkwe villages in the Katima Mulilo Rural Constituency of the Zambezi Region, 67-year-old Sililo Mandoile, is urging people to go out and vote in the mass Regional Councils and Local Authority Elections slated for Wednesday.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the headman emphasized the importance of voting as a democratic process that allows the masses to formally communicate with the Government through their elected representatives, who can address their concerns and find solutions. Mandoile stated, "If you don't vote you deny yourself the right way to formal communication with Government where you say what you need through your elected representatives."
Mandoile plans to vote with the hope that the elected candidate will address pressing issues in Gunkwe and other areas within the constituency. Chief among these concerns is the scarcity of water points, which are limited and shared by a large population, including livestock. The high cost of clean water from NamWater has led to many service cut-offs.
Additionally, the headman pointed out the lack of adequate mobile network connectivity and the absence of a local clinic. The only designated pay point for senior citizens and social-grant beneficiaries is often overcrowded. He highlighted the long distance to the nearest clinic in Masokotwani as a significant issue, along with other concerns that elected officials should tackle by coordinating with the Government to find solutions.
A resident of Gunkwe, 22-year-old Ashanti, expressed her intention to follow the headman's advice and vote, acknowledging it as the right course of action.
The Katima Mulilo Rural Constituency, with over 6,000 registered voters, is set to see a competition among Swapo Party's Dennis Sinchembe Mukena, Jimmy Lilungwe Pumulo of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Daniel Sinyemba Sankwasa of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), and Mwaka Petra Sinkolela of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC). The Bukalo Village Council within the constituency is also a contest ground for five local authority seats among the Swapo Party, PDM, IPC, and NDP.