National Council calls for African-centered laws

National Council chairperson Lukas Muha has called for legislative harmonisation across the African continent, emphasising the need for the enactment of laws that reflect the continent’s unique identity and serve its people first.

“Africa is in our hands. It is now our collective responsibility to ensure that we make laws that are of African nature – laws that are accepted by Africans first before any other continent,” he says.

He criticises the lingering colonial influence on African legal systems, urging the continent to move beyond divisions based on colonial languages and to work towards harmonising its legal frameworks to facilitate intra African trade, mobility, and social cohesion.

“If Europeans have sold their laws to us, what stops us from doing the same? The division of Africas into groups of the so-called Anglophone, Lusophone or Francophone by our former colonial masters should be denounced. It is influencing our laws such that we are continuing to dance to the philosophy of the former masters,” he adds.

Muha made these remarks during a courtesy visit by the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature of South Africa speaker, Newrene Klaaste, who led a delegation which included 19 members of the legislature, the secretary to the legislature, and 20 officials to conduct a benchmarking exercise on legislative best practices to the National Council in Windhoek on Wednesday.

The delegation seeks to learn about how the Namibian parliament deals with issues of oversight, public participation, law-making process, members’ statements and resolution tracking, all aimed towards improving their systems and processes in their legislature.

Welcoming the delegation, Muha emphasised the importance of inter-parliamentary relations and cooperation between Namibia and South Africa.

“Your visit signifies the importance of the existing inter-parliamentary relations between the two parliaments. It underscores the deep and enduring bonds between our legislative institutions and our shared commitment to advancing democracy, good governance, and the well-being of our respective peoples,” he stated.

Muha made reference to previous engagements with South African provincial legislatures, recalling a similar visit by the KwaZulu-Natal provincial legislature in June last year.

He stressed the historical and cultural ties that unite the two nations and encouraged continued parliamentary collaboration to strengthen legislative practices.

“Your presence here today reaffirms our commitment to continuous collaboration and engagement, ensuring that our institutions remain responsive, accountable and people-centred. Let us use these opportunities to engage in exchanges that promote social cohesion, trade and mobility,” he added.

Muha expressed his hope for a strengthened working relationship between the National Council and the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature.

He invited the delegation to participate in Namibia’s upcoming 35th Independence celebrations, which will also mark the swearing-in of the country’s first female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwa.

On her part, Klaaste briefed Muha on the composition of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to engage with Namibia’s parliament.

“Law-making is an ongoing process; therefore, we need to work together to ensure that we serve our citizens,” she stated.

She emphasised Africa’s need to take ownership of its legislative discourse.

“If Africa does not talk for herself, who must talk for us?” she posed, reiterating Muha’s call.

She added that the benchmarking exercise would help foster a solid working relationship between the two institutions, ultimately improving the lives of the people they serve.

Klaaste also urged for the continuation of the relationship between the two parliaments, stating that ongoing collaboration is vital in strengthening governance structures and sharing knowledge between the institutions.

– Sakeus Ikela is an information officer at National Council