Netumbo told to ‘pick the right squad’ should she become president
Vice-president meets with German-speaking Namibian forum
Swapo's presidential hopeful Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has acknowledged that while government has done much to improve the standard of living of Namibians, substantial gaps remain between the haves and have-nots.
Namibia's Vice-President and Swapo presidential candidate Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has been urged to surround herself with a strong and capable team should she be elected as Namibia’s first female president.
During an engagement on Saturday in Swakopmund with members of the Forum of German-speaking Namibians, Harald Hecht, chairperson of the forum, urged the vice-president to “pick the right squad for your team.”
Hecht underlined that Namibia remains one of the most unequal countries in the world despite decades of independence.
He said should se be elected as the country's next president, Nandi-Ndaitwah would be "the coach" of a government team and is "arguably well-positioned since you are the last survivor of Namibia’s first Cabinet in 1990. The institutional memory you possess and your zero-tolerance stance on corruption could be instrumental and vital in leading the journey of economic transformation."
He added: "And it is quite normal for the coach of a team to be older than the players.”
Rising poverty
During his talk, Hecht underlined that “despite 33 years of independence, Namibia continues to struggle with structural inequality rooted in the legacy of colonialism and apartheid.
"The Gini coefficient, which measures the wealth gap, has been widening, making Namibia one of the most unequal countries in the world. German-speaking Namibians are still considered the wealthiest group, highlighting persistent disparities."
He added: "Poverty, unemployment and food insecurity are on the rise, which many view as a violation of the social contract outlined in Article 95 of the Namibian Constitution, which mandates the promotion of the welfare of the people.”
Hecht said Namibia's population is growing at a rate of 3% per year, with nearly half of its three million inhabitants living below the poverty line.
“This significant increase in poverty since independence reflects economic growth that has not kept pace with population growth. The current situation threatens the country's social peace and political stability, posing a key challenge for the future," he warned.
Harness potential
He stressed that addressing these economic weaknesses is essential to strengthening Namibia's democracy, ensuring shared prosperity and restoring the dignity of those affected by poverty in the 34 years since independence.
Going forward, the Namibian government's focus should be on ensuring an enabling environment and fully harness new economic growth potential in sectors like oil, gas, green hydrogen and minerals, many of which have only been discovered and explored in the last three years, he advised.
"We must change the contrast in the rankings that matter to finally achieve economic independence after gaining our political independence in 1990. We need to start that journey of economic transformation now.”
Reduce the gap
In her address, Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised that serious work lies ahead, and underlined that everyone needs to work together for the "Namibia we want".
She added that “it is public knowledge that I am the Swapo Party presidential candidate for this election. I am here to seek your full support to allow the Swapo party to lead Namibia during the next five years and take our country to the next level of inclusive socio-economic development and prosperity for all.”
“We cannot run away from our history, which has been unpleasant when we were divided between white and black. The problem is that we cannot continue to dwell on that history," Nandi-Ndaitwah added.
She said over the past 34 years, the Swapo government has "carved out comprehensive socio-economic programmes that have improved the standard of living for the majority of Namibians. We are not claiming to have solved all the problems; the challenges are still there. The gap between the haves and the have-nots is obvious. Hence, moving forward as a nation, we need to work together to reduce this gap.”
'Pull up our socks'
Nandi-Ndaitwah said it is time to address the quality of public service delivery.
“I’ll keep repeating myself: in Namibia, we don’t have a money problem; the problem is how we are using that money. The biggest challenge is our service delivery. We really need to pull up our socks and have a mindset shift.”
“In other words, when elected – I am not talking about if – I do not want to tell people what they want to hear; I want to tell people what I am going to do. If you tell people what they want to hear, you are going to disappoint them. They will hear and celebrate, but if you do not deliver, you are destroying the whole country because the trust and confidence in the political system will disappear. When you finally see that election manifesto, it will show what is going to be done, and it has to be done.”
Genocide negotiations continue
On the current Namibia-Germany negotiations regarding the Herero-Nama genocide, Nandi-Ndaitwah said that they are making good progress.
“Our technical teams are engaging, and the discussions now focus on the issues raised by the National Assembly. These concerns include the 30-year time frame, the amount being offered, and the descendants of the affected communities in the diaspora, along with the closure of the matter – these are the key issues. Our technical team is expected to meet again here in Namibia during the first week of September. Trust your two parliaments to do the right thing. The outcome should ensure that the descendants of the affected community can buy in.”
Corruption matters
“There are many serious issues we need to work on after elections, including unemployment, which is very high. The problem is not impossible to solve; we just need to think outside the box," the vice-president said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah highlighted that both the government and the private sector have responsibilities when it comes to economic activities for the country.
“When people talk about corruption, it often seems as if it is only in the government. Corruption is both public and private. Who goes to government officials to offer something in exchange for something? You might find it is the private sector," she said.
"If the private sector could, for instance, have a private sector ombudsperson and change its mindset to think of the nation at large, there would be no corruption."
She urged for more talks on corruption. "Can we all talk about it and find a solution? It is killing our economy.”
During an engagement on Saturday in Swakopmund with members of the Forum of German-speaking Namibians, Harald Hecht, chairperson of the forum, urged the vice-president to “pick the right squad for your team.”
Hecht underlined that Namibia remains one of the most unequal countries in the world despite decades of independence.
He said should se be elected as the country's next president, Nandi-Ndaitwah would be "the coach" of a government team and is "arguably well-positioned since you are the last survivor of Namibia’s first Cabinet in 1990. The institutional memory you possess and your zero-tolerance stance on corruption could be instrumental and vital in leading the journey of economic transformation."
He added: "And it is quite normal for the coach of a team to be older than the players.”
Rising poverty
During his talk, Hecht underlined that “despite 33 years of independence, Namibia continues to struggle with structural inequality rooted in the legacy of colonialism and apartheid.
"The Gini coefficient, which measures the wealth gap, has been widening, making Namibia one of the most unequal countries in the world. German-speaking Namibians are still considered the wealthiest group, highlighting persistent disparities."
He added: "Poverty, unemployment and food insecurity are on the rise, which many view as a violation of the social contract outlined in Article 95 of the Namibian Constitution, which mandates the promotion of the welfare of the people.”
Hecht said Namibia's population is growing at a rate of 3% per year, with nearly half of its three million inhabitants living below the poverty line.
“This significant increase in poverty since independence reflects economic growth that has not kept pace with population growth. The current situation threatens the country's social peace and political stability, posing a key challenge for the future," he warned.
Harness potential
He stressed that addressing these economic weaknesses is essential to strengthening Namibia's democracy, ensuring shared prosperity and restoring the dignity of those affected by poverty in the 34 years since independence.
Going forward, the Namibian government's focus should be on ensuring an enabling environment and fully harness new economic growth potential in sectors like oil, gas, green hydrogen and minerals, many of which have only been discovered and explored in the last three years, he advised.
"We must change the contrast in the rankings that matter to finally achieve economic independence after gaining our political independence in 1990. We need to start that journey of economic transformation now.”
Reduce the gap
In her address, Nandi-Ndaitwah emphasised that serious work lies ahead, and underlined that everyone needs to work together for the "Namibia we want".
She added that “it is public knowledge that I am the Swapo Party presidential candidate for this election. I am here to seek your full support to allow the Swapo party to lead Namibia during the next five years and take our country to the next level of inclusive socio-economic development and prosperity for all.”
“We cannot run away from our history, which has been unpleasant when we were divided between white and black. The problem is that we cannot continue to dwell on that history," Nandi-Ndaitwah added.
She said over the past 34 years, the Swapo government has "carved out comprehensive socio-economic programmes that have improved the standard of living for the majority of Namibians. We are not claiming to have solved all the problems; the challenges are still there. The gap between the haves and the have-nots is obvious. Hence, moving forward as a nation, we need to work together to reduce this gap.”
'Pull up our socks'
Nandi-Ndaitwah said it is time to address the quality of public service delivery.
“I’ll keep repeating myself: in Namibia, we don’t have a money problem; the problem is how we are using that money. The biggest challenge is our service delivery. We really need to pull up our socks and have a mindset shift.”
“In other words, when elected – I am not talking about if – I do not want to tell people what they want to hear; I want to tell people what I am going to do. If you tell people what they want to hear, you are going to disappoint them. They will hear and celebrate, but if you do not deliver, you are destroying the whole country because the trust and confidence in the political system will disappear. When you finally see that election manifesto, it will show what is going to be done, and it has to be done.”
Genocide negotiations continue
On the current Namibia-Germany negotiations regarding the Herero-Nama genocide, Nandi-Ndaitwah said that they are making good progress.
“Our technical teams are engaging, and the discussions now focus on the issues raised by the National Assembly. These concerns include the 30-year time frame, the amount being offered, and the descendants of the affected communities in the diaspora, along with the closure of the matter – these are the key issues. Our technical team is expected to meet again here in Namibia during the first week of September. Trust your two parliaments to do the right thing. The outcome should ensure that the descendants of the affected community can buy in.”
Corruption matters
“There are many serious issues we need to work on after elections, including unemployment, which is very high. The problem is not impossible to solve; we just need to think outside the box," the vice-president said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah highlighted that both the government and the private sector have responsibilities when it comes to economic activities for the country.
“When people talk about corruption, it often seems as if it is only in the government. Corruption is both public and private. Who goes to government officials to offer something in exchange for something? You might find it is the private sector," she said.
"If the private sector could, for instance, have a private sector ombudsperson and change its mindset to think of the nation at large, there would be no corruption."
She urged for more talks on corruption. "Can we all talk about it and find a solution? It is killing our economy.”
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