You Will Name Your Child Lukato!

The story goes that, for more than 20 years, honourable Lukato Lukato had three loyal companions: Wandei, Hona, and Rubble.

Every morning, he would feed them, pat their heads, and remind them: “One day, my friends, one day.”

Now, to the untrained ear, these were just ordinary dog names.

But the Zambezi code-breakers knew better.

When spoken quickly, the names formed a hidden message: “One day, honourable.”

And now, after years of relentless campaigning, laughing opponents and ballots that never quite tipped in his favour, that one day has arrived.

Lukato Lukato: the man, the myth, the new honourable member of parliament (MP). He is in the capital, accompanied by his beloved family and his three full-blooded stud Zambezi hunting dogs.

Lukato’s story is different. He fought for this. Not with money, not with connections, but with sheer stubbornness. And so did his people.

His supporters didn’t vote for him because they were promised free T-shirts or a crate of Windhoek Lager.

They didn’t need stage trucks with giant speakers or banners flying down the road like a touring circus.

There were no rallies with brötchens and little viennas, no festival-styled campaigns, just raw determination and a love for their country.

They refused to give up on their right to be represented, showing up election after election, even when it seemed impossible.

Meanwhile, in the big parties, things worked differently. Some MPs got their seats the way tourists get free Wi-Fi at Hosea Kutako International Airport – automatically.

They didn’t have to fight for it. They didn’t have to prove anything.

Their only qualification? Well, let’s not even go there.

Namibian politics is funny like that. Leadership isn’t about serving the people; it’s about securing a salary.

That’s why so many of these “leaders” would have been running cuca shops if politics wasn’t such a lucrative business.

But because it is, here they are. Some of these men and women who have no business discussing national policy will gladly discuss travel allowances and sitting fees.

Lukato’s story is different. He fought for this. Not with money, not with connections, but with sheer determination. His supporters voted for him because they believed in him.

Compare that to the ‘big’ parties, where voting is like gambling: you only bet if you think you’re going to win something.

Their supporters only show up when there are handouts, while Lukato’s people showed up election after election, even when it looked hopeless.

And now, because of them, Lukato is going to parliament while others are going back to their understocked shebeens to plot their next move.

Now, let’s talk about those honourables who are about to be sworn in, but deep down know they don’t belong there.

You know them.

They are the ones who will walk into parliament with expensive suits and empty brains.

The ones who, if the democratic process had not been hijacked by party lists and recycled politicians, would be applying for small and medium enterprise loans to sell kapana at Tsumeb. And yet, here they are, sitting in the same chamber as Lukato, pretending to matter.

You will soon see all of them posting pictures with Tate Lukato, secretly trying to look relevant.

You all know how that goes.

The irony? Some of these MPs have been in government for decades and have done absolutely nothing.

They sit in parliament like tourists, watching the scenery, occasionally nodding when someone speaks, and voting the way their party tells them to.

They have titles, but no achievements. Lukato, on the other hand, has already achieved something just by getting here.

He has already done more for democracy by proving that if you refuse to give up, even the smallest voice can be heard.

So go ahead, laugh at Lukato one last time if you must. But remember, the joke is now on those who underestimated him.

The man who was told he would never make it is about to be sworn in.

And the people who thought leadership was only for the privileged are about to learn that democracy, in the end, belongs to those who refuse to quit.

One more thing: Don’t be shy, it is okay to name your child Lukato, because the name represents sheer determination, perseverance and service to the people.