Some residents of Swakopmund have expressed no interest in the ongoing by-elections for a Constituency Councillor, noting that it ‘is a waste of time.’

In an interview with Nampa, Joseph Abel said he will not participate in the elections as he does not believe any changes will come from them.

Abel, who has been a resident of Swakopmund for over 20 years said he has not seen much development in the town despite the many leaders the town has had over the years.

“Swakopmund, which is one of the main towns in the country and one of the biggest tourist attractions if not the main, is supposed to be way ahead in development, however, I feel like we are really far in terms of infrastructure and we still lack schools and shopping centre. Areas such as Matutura have no ATMs or a shopping centre close to it and residents there are forced to go all the way to town in order to access all these services, so at this point, it is really pointless voting when we have the same issues year-in, year-out,” Abel noted.

Another resident who spoke under anonymity said that he had been a loyal resident of Swakopmund and had always voted in the past, however, he is disappointed in the increasing number of political parties who instead of fighting for the betterment of residents, are fighting each other.

Meanwhile, those who did vote said they want to see change as they are not happy with the current situation.

“I am voting in hopes of a leader who will do things differently and is not just interested in enriching themselves like previous leaders,” one of the voters said.

Another voter, who identified himself as Ericksen, said he voted as he believes that voting is a fundamental human right that accords a platform to individuals to express themselves and how they wish to be led.

Seven candidates, six from political parties and one independent candidate, are contesting the elections.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency