‘Humanity supersedes all interaction’

As the country prepares to welcome Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as our first woman president, I thank The Namibian’s team for the invitation to contribute to this supplement.

Contributors were requested to highlight encounters with the president-elect, whether personal or professional, and share insights into her character, leadership style, and values as a leader and a person.

To begin with, it is notable of course that Nandi-Ndaitwah is a freedom fighter with various accolades for her bravery in the liberation of Namibia.

A vivid memory I have of her was when the country was abuzz with gender equality in the early days of our independence.

Nandi-Ndaitwah oversaw the Department of Women Affairs in the Office of the President.

That simple term, ‘gender equality’, was not easy for a male-dominated public space.

She carried that cross of equality to every corner of the country and into every household.

The nation started talking and taking note. Today, it is no longer a conversation in obscurity. Swapo itself adopted the policy in 2013, stating that leadership positions would be based on gender equality.

We have worked together in the party leadership, particularly in Swapo’s central committee, and in government.

Usually, after every Swapo congress, mending is necessary.

The 2017 Swapo congress was one such event. The rest is history.

One morning in 2019, I received a call from Swapo’s Oshana regional coordinator, the late comrade Erastus Kapolo, saying there was an invitation for me from the Office of the Secretary General to attend a party function which would be held in the Oshana region.

He said it would be hand delivered by himself. At the time, I was an employee at the University of Namibia.

He arrived and gave me an envelope containing ‘A Special Invitation Card by Cde Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Vice President of SWAPO Party’.

The event was the Theo-Ben Gurirab lecture series, titled ‘Namibia at 29 Years, The Meaning of National Independence’.

Considering the political bruises of the 2017 Swapo congress and the fact that the vice president was reaching out, I deduced from this encounter that she had the character of a leader ready to traverse the political divide emanating from the just-ended congress.

A leader driven by this desire to unite the party and country, in my opinion, is worthy of being admired.

She has travelled the length and breadth of the country with the same message of unity.

She has met young and old with the same message.

With Swapo’s election manifesto, Nandi-Ndaitwah personally provided leadership in its formulation and is now committed to its implementation.

As a leader, therefore, and in my interactions with her, humanity supersedes her interaction with others, and I find her to be very sincere.

I have seen instances where she would call for consultation on any matter, and she does so with firmness and with clarity of thought.

Prior to the 2022 congress, Nandi-Ndaitwah had intended to meet with a view of uniting the party.

I was then a civil servant until the electoral college in 2024, when she nominated me to be part of her 10 nominees.

I write the above not because of the nomination, but to provide on objective assessment of her leadership qualities and her humanity.

I believe our first woman president was forged in the crucible of the liberation struggle, and in a free and independent Namibia.

She is armed with commitment, humanity and dedication to ensure the manifestation of the themes of Swapo’s election manifesto, and ensure that every Namibian lives in peace, unity and with opportunities to benefit from the country’s resources.

• • Elijah Ngurare is a Namibian politician and academic.