SENIOR traditional councillor for the Omhedi district, Hadino Hishongwa, has refused to accept the results of headmen elections held at Etale laShaidila village in the Ohangwena region last December.
The elections between Naftal Shaulwa and a certain Shafooli took place on 28 December 2021.
According to Shaulwa, 84 voters participated in the election.
Shaulwa claims that he garnered 43 votes, while Shafooli reportedly received 41 votes.
According to Shaulwa, the village has not had a headman since the death of Lisias Nghishitede Nandjebo in June last year.
"Hadino Hishongwa encouraged those interested to be headman of the village to apply to him. I and everyone else who was interested applied and took our forms to senior headman Vilho Shimwooshili, and they were subsequently taken to Hishongwa," Shaulwa said.
He added that on 28 December 2021, Hishongwa sent Shimwooshili to inaugurate the new headman of the village, but this move was ostensibly rejected by villagers.
"Shimwooshili suggested that elections take place as the preferred person [Shafooli] was not wanted by the villagers. After the election took place, Hishongwa rejected the election results, saying they were not credible. He also told Shimwooshili that he did not send him to conduct an election," Shaulwa said.
Shaulwa is accusing Hishongwa, who also served as deputy minister and Namibia high commissioner in Botswana, of favouring Shafooli because he is an ex-combatant, while not favouring Shaulwa because he was a member of the Rally for Democracy and Progress.
Shaulwa said Hishongwa does not want to work with headmen that are members of opposition parties.
Shimwooshili told The Namibian last week that he executed what he was asked to do by Hishongwa.
However, Hishongwa told The Namibian that Shimwooshili does not have the power to sanction elections.
Hishongwa added that the elections were supposed to be done with the authorisation of Oukwanyama queen Martha ya Kristian Nelumbu.
"What Vilho did is illegal. He is irresponsible and is insubordinate or rebellious. He has no respect for the procedures," Hishongwa said.
He also said the election results appeared to have been "cooked" as the report Shimwooshili allegedly submitted to him suggests that 74 people took part in the elections.
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"Where did 10 people come from because they are saying candidates got 41 and 43 votes?"
Hishongwa said Shimwooshili will be punished for facilitating elections without authorisation.
"He will be punished. He is incapable and proved to be childish. We will not accept what he did."
Hishongwa also said he did not know that Shaulwa was a member of RDP and he only knows him as a businessman who sells fish at a local shop.
"Even if I know he was a member of RDP, I have nothing to do with it. We don't bring politics in the traditional authority issues," he said.
He said Shafooli has been assistant headman for close to 20 years and there was no need to hold elections.
Hishongwa accused Shimwooshili of using the traditional authority for his political expediency.
The senior traditional councillor said Shaulwa should have gone to him, or written to him to discuss the matter instead of going to the media.
The Namibian was unable to get comment from Shafooli.
