Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah: Namibia’s First Female President
Namibia’s first female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, was recently elected through a victory that saw her clinch 57 percent of the votes. Such is the life biography of this woman who went from being a freedom fighter to a head of state.
Analyzing the Life of a Strong Activist and Political Reformer
Nandi-Ndaitwah who was born in Onamutai, Namibia, then under South Africa occupation in 1952 started participating in the liberation movement Swapo at the age of fourteen years. It has to be mentioned that as a member of Swapo’s youth league she was engaged in the fight for Namibia’s liberation. Her activism caused her to be arrested and later exiled from Swaziland, she continued the struggle from Zambia and Tanzania before she pursue a degree in International Relations in the United Kingdom.
Back in Namibia after independence in 1990, Nandi-Ndaitwah served in numerous minister positions in the Swapo party administration, among them in foreign affair, tourism and social welfare ministry. She is recognized for her campaigning on women’s issues; she supported the Combating of Domestic Violence Act in 2002.
Challenges and Vision
Election of Nandi-Ndaitwah is not without controversy. Her main challenger, Panduleni Itula, has dismissed the outcome attributing his loss to organisational problems and has vowed to seek legal redress. Nonetheless, she is the first female president, and thus a prime example of the scarce female presence in the Namibia’s heavily manned political field.
Leadership and Legacy
As a pragmatic leader, she has vowed to steer development of Namibia’s economy, Thompson added. One of Namibia’s fiercest critics of sexism, she once publicly rebuked her male colleagues for Swapo’s constitutional obligation of gender equity. Her hands-on approach resonates with her declaration: That is why I am not a storyteller but an implementer.
Namibia has finally entered a new era with Nandi-Ndaitwah becoming the first female president of the nation.