Khomas Region, 12 September 2026.
Message by Her Excellency Dr Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, President of the Republic of Namibia, on the occasion of the National Prayer Day Against Gender-Based Violence and Gruesome Killings.
Director of Ceremonies;
Hon. Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, Governor of Khomas Region, and other Governors present;
Your Worship Cllr. Sakaria Uunona, Mayor of the City of Windhoek;
Amb. Emilia Mkusa, Secretary to the Cabinet;
Service Chiefs;
Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Regional and Local Authority Councillors;
Bishop Sageus /Kheib, President of the Council of Churches Namibia;
Esteemed Religious and Spiritual Leaders;
Traditional Authority Leaders;
Members of the Media;
Fellow Namibians.
Director of Ceremonies,
As a nation we are being haunted by different evils, hence the theme of today’s prayer day, “Seeking Divine Intervention for Behavioural Change. God Knows. God Hears. God Sees.”
We may recall that on the 6th of March 2014, H.E. Hifikepunye Pohamba, then President of the Republic of Namibia, led a national prayer day on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and passion killing. The main purpose was to seek divine intervention, express solidarity with the victims and their families, and to raise awareness of the harmful impact of violence against women and children.
Today, 12 years later, we are back again to put our prayers together, believing that God hears. However, the big question we must ask ourselves is: what is it that we are not doing right, seeing that the progress we are making in the fight against Gender-Based Violence is not significant?
Another challenge we are facing is that we are also losing too many lives on our roads. Namibia has some of the best roads in the world, and still we bury our loved ones on them, year after year.
Since I assumed Office on 21 March 2025, religious leaders and concerned citizens have called for the nation to come together in prayer. On the 4th May this year, in Outapi, Omusati Region, on the commemoration of Cassinga Day, I called on the nation to go on prayer due to the high rate of accidents on our roads. I am glad that the nation has responded and prayers were held at different places in our country.
Fellow Namibians,
We are here on the decision of Cabinet that called for the nation to come together today, 12 September 2026, in prayer across all fourteen regions.
I want to thank Her Excellency Lucia Witbooi, Vice President, who, upon being assigned responsibility by Cabinet to lead the organisation of the prayer day, worked diligently with her team; hence our presence here and at different places in the country. Well done, Cde VP.
I thank every Namibian who answered this call and stands with us today wherever you may be.
Fellow Namibians,
Today, religious and spiritual leaders from every tradition join us, and together we stand with the survivors and grieving families of the tragedies facing our nation.
Behind every case of gender-based violence, every death on our roads, every life lost to suicide, is a person, a family, a community left living with pain. A pain that is felt across the entire nation.
No institution can solve these tragedies we face alone. Government, the police, our courts, schools, families, religious institutions, traditional authorities, and communities must work as one towards bringing an end to these evils that face us. I also accept that Government has the biggest role to play and Government accepts its responsibility and Government will continue to act.
Namibia has strong laws. Laws that are there to protect its citizens. We acknowledge that there is a huge gap between what the legislation provides for and the implementation thereof. To close these gaps, the following is happening:
The Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, together with the Inspector-General of the Namibian Police, are conducting a full assessment of every Gender-Based Violence Protection Unit in the country, their staffing, training, transport, communication systems, case tracking, and reach to survivors. Every shortcoming identified, efforts will be made to correct them.
• Protection Orders under the Combating of Domestic Violence Act to be served within 24 hours, without exception, and the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations is reviewing how this Act, and the Combating of Rape Act, are applied in practice — addressing repeat offenders, chronic delays, and the gaps that leave survivors unprotected. Where the law itself must change, proposals will be made.
• The Ministry of Works and Transport and the National Road Safety Council is accelerating the review of the Road Traffic and Transport Act and the National Road Safety Act, with stronger consequences for drunken driving, speeding, and repeat dangerous offenders, and better protection for pedestrians and cyclists.
Government will continue to inform the nation on its work on the subject matter, as prayer must be matched by performance, and performance must be measured.
Fellow Namibians,
Even the strongest law cannot stand watch in every home and every corner of the country. A police officer cannot be present in every relationship, and a court cannot shape the character of every child. This is where families, communities, and faith must carry what government alone cannot.
Prayer must not become a way of avoiding responsibility. It must awaken responsibility, soften what has hardened in us, and strengthen us to act.
I ask our spiritual and traditional leaders to help rebuild the values that protect life: compassion, self-control, respect, honesty, accountability, and care for the vulnerable. Your voices reach homes and hearts in ways public institutions sometimes cannot.
To parents and guardians: teach our children that love is never violent, and that strength is not control.
To teachers: recognise and address distress, bullying and abuse before they grow worse.
To men and boys: seeking help is not weakness. Walking away from violence is strength.
To neighbours, relatives and friends: report danger, do not ignore a cry for help, and intervene safely.
To our law enforcement officers: handle every report, whether from a woman or a man, with sensitivity and urgency.
To the families who have lost loved ones to gender-based violence and gruesome killings, and to those affected by careless driving: on behalf of the Government and people of Namibia, I extend our deepest condolences. No words can bring back what you have lost, but your nation sees your pain and shares your grief.
Fellow Namibians,
The Namibia we want is within our reach: a country where women and children are safe, where men and boys can seek help without shame, where disagreement never becomes violence, where justice is firm, and where every life is treated with dignity.
Let this National Prayer Day today be more than a gathering. Let it be a turning point. When we leave this arena and our places of worship, let something change in how we speak, how we raise our children, how we settle conflict, how our institutions respond, and how we protect one another.
The words of Psalm 121:1-2 remain close to me: “I look to the hills! Where will I find help? It will come from the Lord, who created heaven and earth.”
It reminds us that we are not without help or hope, and that the Lord is always with us. Our responsibility is to believe in the Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
I thank you.
