STAFF WRITER
The recruitment of two new Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) commissioners is under scrutiny after allegations surfaced that key legal procedures may not have been followed.
Interviews for the positions are scheduled for 3 June, and will be used to appoint replacements for ECN chairperson Elsie Nghikembua and commissioner Emmerentia Leonard, whose terms are set to expire in September.
Leonard is among the four shortlisted candidates, alongside Julieta Ferreira, Josephine Hamwaama and Patricia Ileka. The new commissioners will join Gerson Tjihenuna, Pius Iikwambi, and Gerson Sindano in the body tasked with overseeing the country’s elections.
Sources familiar with the process allege that concerns have been raised that the recruitment may not have complied with provisions of the Electoral Act. The matter is also said to have drawn the attention of the Namibia Central Intelligence Service (NCIS).
At the centre of the claims is whether the legally required public recruitment process was properly initiated before candidates were shortlisted.
The Electoral Act requires the Secretary to the National Assembly to invite applications through a notice in the Government Gazette and at least two daily newspapers once a vacancy arises, or at least four months before the end of a commissioner’s term.
Secretary to the National Assembly Esther Kaapanda declined to directly confirm whether this process had been followed.
“I do not have any knowledge of any ECN Commissioner who have tendered resignation. The ECN Commissioners do not report to the Secretary to the National Assembly either,” she said.
Kaapanda referred further questions to ECN chief executive officer Peter Shaama.
ECN spokesperson De Wet Siluka also did not directly address the allegations, instead pointing to the legal framework governing the process.
“The requirements for appointing Commissioners of Elections are outlined in Section 6 of the Electoral Act, and the composition of the selection committee is specified in Section 5 of the same Act. Please refer to these sections. The process is overseen by the Speaker of the National Assembly,” he said.
The Electoral Act sets out a step-by-step process meant to ensure transparency and public participation in the appointment of commissioners.
After applications are invited, a selection committee must review submissions and shortlist between 10 and 20 candidates for interviews. The shortlisted names must then be published to allow the public to submit objections before interviews are conducted.
The selection committee then recommends suitable candidates to the President, who nominates commissioners for approval by the National Assembly. Once approved, the President formally appoints the commissioners, who must then take an oath of office before assuming duties.
The current concerns centre on whether these steps, particularly the public call for applications and publication of shortlisted names, were followed before interviews were scheduled.
Affirmative Repositioning (AR) leader and member of the National Assembly Job Amupanda encouraged citizens to keep an eye on the process.
“People of Namibia. You are hereby informed that these are candidates that have been shortlisted by the selection committee chaired by the newly and gou-gou (hastily) appointed chairperson of the Public Service Commission to fill two vacancies at the ECN. In Terms of section 6 of the Act, ECN interviews are open to the public and the media. I am not sure if you are told. In this connection, I take an opportunity to inform and invite the public and media to these interviews,” he said.
THE CANDIDATES
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has five commissioners, with two positions reserved for women. Only female candidates have been shortlisted in the current recruitment process.
Julieta Ferreira is the national director of SOS Children’s Villages and is pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration at the University of Namibia. She holds qualifications in information studies and human resources and describes herself as experienced in project coordination, administration, and strategic planning within non-profit organisations.
Josephine Hamwaama is the acting manager for strategy and projects at the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF). She holds an Honours degree in Clinical Psychology and Social Sciences and is completing a Global MBA at the University of London. She has about a decade of experience in strategy and project management and supports the implementation of the fund’s strategic plan.
Patricia Ileka is a records and archiving manager at the Social Security Commission of Namibia. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Archival Science and a Master of Business Administration in Management Strategy from the University of South Africa.
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