IMAGE: Namibia Reality Examine / The Africa Report
The false declare that about N$1 billion was paid to print poll papers continues to be repeated by overseas information shops, regardless of the lifelike quantity having been reported regionally
The declare concerning the ECN paying a contractor “$60m” to print poll papers resurfaced in an online article revealed by The Africa Report.
The article, headlined ‘Is Namibia ballot in danger from poll papers printed by agency linked to Zimbabwe ex-convict’, began off with the next introductory assertion:
“There was uproar in Namibia in October after it was revealed {that a} South African firm, Ren-Kind CC, linked to former convict and Zimbabwean Wicknell Chivayo, was awarded a $60m contract by the Electoral Fee of Namibia (ECN) to print poll papers for Namibia’s common elections on 27 November to elect a brand new president and members of the Nationwide Meeting.”
The article has been circulating in Namibian WhatsApp areas since publication on 13 November 2024.
The difficulty with the “$60m” (US$60 million) is that there isn’t a proof that the Electoral Fee of Namibia (ECN) paid such an quantity to print poll papers.
On 18 October 2024 the ECN issued a statement debunking the declare that it had paid about N$1 billion ((US$60 million). The ECN assertion reads:
“To be clear and set the report straight: the entire price of this contract is N$6,259,686—removed from the grossly inflated and fictitious determine of N$1 billion being circulated in sure media studies.”
This ECN assertion was broadly reported on (examples here and here) in Namibia, so there was no motive for The Africa Report back to repeat the unsubstantiated “$60m” determine in its report of 13 November, virtually a month after the ECN’s assertion on the matter.
The Africa Report response
On 14 November 2024, Namibia Reality Examine emailed the editorial desk of The Africa Report, addressing the e-mail to The Africa Report editor Nicholas Norbrook, asking the place the reporter bought the “$60m” determine from. There was no response to this request for data thus far. Namibia Reality Examine will replace this text if or when a response is acquired from The Africa Report.
On 15 November 2024, Namibia Reality Examine approached the author of the article, Farai Shawn Matiashe, immediately through WhatsApp and requested him the place he bought the “$60m” determine from.
Matiashe pointed to a ZimLive.com article of 18 October and a Voice of America (VOA) report from 23 October because the sources for the “$60m” determine he cites in his article. Nevertheless, ZimLive.com additionally doesn’t point out the place it bought the determine from in its article, whereas the VOA report doesn’t make point out of “$60m”, however quotes the Namibian official opposition chief, McHenry Venaani, mentioning a determine of N$800 million in reference to accusations leveled in opposition to the printing firm, Ren-Kind CC, in Zimbabwe.
To be clear, no proof exists or has been cited or introduced thus far that exhibits that the ECN paid “$60m” (US$60 million) or about N$1 billion for the printing of poll papers.
Following this alternate between Namibia Reality Examine and Matiashe, the introductory paragraph of The Africa Report article was modified to the next:
“There was uproar in Namibia in October after it was revealed {that a} South African firm, Ren-Kind CC, linked to former convict and Zimbabwean Wicknell Chivayo, was awarded a N$6.2m ($350,000) contract by the Electoral Fee of Namibia (ECN) to print poll papers for Namibia’s common elections on 27 November to elect a brand new president and members of the Nationwide Meeting.”
Nevertheless, regardless of this, there isn’t a word on the article stating that it was amended or up to date to right data.
#NamibiaElections2024
That is an output of and for the Elections Reality Checking Coalition of Namibian media and civil society companions combating election-related misinformation.
