Staff Reporter
NEARLY a day after it announced that it has successfully concluded the procurement process of Ballot Papers for the 2024 Presidential and National Assembly Elections and announced that Ren-Form CC, a South African-based company, was the most responsive bidder, the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) has come under fire for picking the company, which is being investigated for fraud in Zimbabwe.
“The Commission is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of the procurement process of Ballot Papers for the 2024 Presidential and National Assembly Elections, which was conducted in terms of section 33(3)(b) of the Public Procurement Act. Following a comprehensive evaluation process, Ren-Form CC, headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, emerged as the most responsive bidder in terms of the set bidding specifications and has been awarded the contract for the Design, Printing, Supply and Delivery of Ballot Papers,” Peter Shaama said in a press statement.
However, it has since emerged that the Johannesburg-based printing company Ren-Form is being investigated by Zimbabwe’s anti-corruption authority for price gouging on election-related material and equipment.
According to the Zimbabwean publication, Open Secrets, Ren-Form inflated the price of ballot papers, biometric voter registration kits, and portable toilets, while its politically connected partner, Wicknell Chivayo, made payments to mystery officials. In one instance, Ren-Form invoiced the ZEC R23 million for a server that normally costs just R90,000.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia is, however, yet to respond to a barrage of questions from journalists on the matter, but said that as part of the Commission’s commitment to ensure transparency, it extended an invitation to the authorised representatives of all registered political parties contesting in the upcoming elections to observe the production, printing, and packaging of ballot papers.
The ECN further said that it wishes to assure its stakeholders and the Namibian nation at large that it remains dedicated to upholding the integrity of the electoral processes and its Constitutional mandate.
“Following a comprehensive evaluation process, Ren-Form CC, headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, emerged as the most responsive bidder in terms of the set bidding specifications and has been awarded the contract for the Design, Printing, Supply and Delivery of Ballot Papers,” the ECN CEO said in the statement released yesterday.
