Namibia's 35th Independence Day marks start of era of women

A new era began in the 'land of the brave' on the public holiday on Friday. On 21 March, Namibia not only celebrated 35 years of independence, but also set an example of equality between men and women.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who was elected in November, took over the office from her predecessor Nangoloh Mbumba. Her swearing-in ceremony took place at the State House in front of many high-ranking state guests from abroad.

After four male predecessors, Nandi-Ndaitwah is the first woman to hold the office of president in Namibia. Her husband, former head of the Namibian Defence Force and now First Gentleman, Lieutenant General (retired) Epaphras Denga Ndaitwah (see Wikipedia ), saluted her.

Born on 29 October 1952 in Onamutai in northern Namibia, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah began her political career at the age of 14 (see also Wikipedia ). During the struggle for independence, she went into exile and headed various SWAPO representations abroad.

After independence in 1990, she was a member of parliament and held several ministerial posts over the years. In 2017, SWAPO elected her as its vice-president and in 2023 as its presidential candidate. In February 2024, she became Vice President of Namibia, and in November she won the presidential elections.

Women in the three highest offices in Namibia

However, not only the highest office, but even the three highest offices of the state are now occupied by women. President Nandi-Ndaitwah appointed the former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Lucia Witbooi, as Vice-President. Former Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila became Speaker of the National Assembly and, like Nandi-Ndaitwah, is the first woman to hold this office.

Equality is also reflected in the new cabinet. Eight of the 14 ministries and two institutions represented in the cabinet will in future be headed by women. These are the ministries of Finance, Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Education, Health, Gender Equality, Information and Environment & Tourism.

The ceremony surrounding the swearing-in of Nandi-Ndaitwah (see recording by NBC Digital News from 2:39:00) was also characterised by women. Among the state guests from abroad, the President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, was given the honour of delivering the speech.

A female guard soldier stood behind the lectern. Two female soldiers brought the medal and certificate that was awarded to Nandi-Ndaitwah before she was sworn in. Information Minister Emma Theofelus gave the final acceptance speech.

Prioritising education, health and job creation

In her inaugural speech (see recording from 3:05:00), Presidet Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah outlined the goals of her five-year term of office. As announced before the presidential and parliamentary elections in November, she is prioritising education, health and job creation.

She described corruption as a betrayal (from 3:31:15), quoting late Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere. As part of a government reorganisation, she reduced the number of ministries from 20 to 14, with the aim of reducing expenditure and increasing efficiency.

The ceremony was actually planned to take place at the Independence Stadium in order to allow as many Namibian citizens as possible to attend. However, due to the heavy rainfall the day before (see report by Namibian.org) and forecasts of further rain, the ceremony was cancelled the evening before and moved to the State House.

For holidaymakers in Namibia who were in Windhoek, the celebrations were particularly noticeable on the roads. From Thursday to Saturday, soldiers were stationed at key points in the city centre and on the main road to the international airport. There were also repeated traffic stops to allow convoys of state guests to pass.

Sven-Eric Stender