Paul T Shipale
Bo Mbindwane, a South African-based socio-political researcher, with a focus on geopolitical risk management and national security, wrote an article titled; “Namibia and South Africa – Partners in History, Allies in the Future,” which appeared in the Windhoek Observer on 28 October 2024.
In that article, Mbindwane says it is time to re-elevate Namibia’s role, strengthen its partnerships, and leverage a unique geographical bond to safeguard its future as that of neighbouring South Africa with whom it has a shared legacy and a shared destiny.
Both nations’ fates and futures are geographically intertwined: sharing a land border of over 900 kilometres, linked through the Atlantic Ocean, and bound by a common monetary area, apart from a deeper kinship rooted in centuries-old connections and bonds forged in the crucible of the liberation struggle.
Indeed, both Namibia and South Africa share a substantial stretch of coastline which is not only a geographical border but an economic artery, connecting both countries to international markets and brimming with potential for offshore resources like oil and gas reserves in Namibian and South African waters that offer both countries new prospects for energy independence and economic growth, underscoring the need for secure maritime borders.
In this regard, Mbindwane suggests that the strategic and economic significance of the shared coastline calls for collaboration on ocean security through the establishment of a permanent joint naval force, which could prove essential in protecting the entire SADC region against threats ranging from piracy to environmental degradation.
Mbindwane added that this cooperative effort between Namibia and South Africa could serve as a blueprint for broader regional collaboration, inviting Angola, Mozambique, and Tanzania to form a formidable African navy as together this united force would protect nearly 6,000 kilometres of coastline, ensuring the security and sustainability of one of Africa’s most economically vital regions.
Against this background, I argue that to achieve such a goal, however, Namibia must adopt a geopolitical strategy that champions African sovereignty and take advantage of such an opportunity to have the Headquarters of such a Naval force in Walvis Bay, given Namibia’s three decades of cooperation with the Brazilian Navy and Namibia’s wealth of experience in coastal and maritime resources management.
Indeed, with a shift toward a South-South alliance, Namibia can assert its independence by leveraging partnerships with emerging global players like Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa who form part of the BRICS group of nations and who will act as a stabilizing force in times of tension, especially with the comeback of Donald Trump to the White House, strategically forcing Namibia to walk a tightrope between the US-led West and BRICS+ countries, due to the unpredictable second Trump term in Office.
A recent study titled; Contesting Hegemony: the Rise of BRICS and the Crisis of US-led Western Hegemony in the Middle-East and the Africa region by the Korean Journal of International Studies (December 2023), examined the possible role of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as a counter-hegemonic alternative to the longstanding US-led world order, particularly in the Middle East and Africa as a whole.
With its seemingly less exploitative nature and emphasis on the promotion of national sovereignty, the growing presence of BRICS in the Middle East and Africa in general bolsters incentives for South-South cooperation.
Therefore, the BRICS countries—or BRICS+, since the original countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and later South Africa have since further expanded to include four more members—met last month for their headline summit in glitzy Kazan, Russia, on the banks of the Volga. On the agenda of the first full summit after the formal incorporation of Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates into the bloc, was the creation of a truly multipolar world order.
Thus, our government should be more proactive in terms of its foreign policy and have a policy of rapprochement with South Africa which forms part of the BRICS and G-20 countries. Indeed, Namibia should also be more assertive in its economic strategic objectives of making the country a Logistics Hub because a third of African countries are landlocked, making them reliant on maritime countries for their international trade.
Burdened with the added challenge of higher transportation costs and cumbersome border-crossing delays, this leads to a higher cost of doing business for them. Efficient road transport and improved customs procedures between landlocked and developing countries can transform their trade potential and overall sustainable development.
Logistics affects the rate of inflation, interest rates, productivity, energy costs and other aspects of the economy. Products travel huge distances in Africa and cross multiple borders to reach their end markets. It is thus crucial for us to employ proper logistics management, which includes the planning, implementation and effective forward and reverse flow of goods from origin to recipient if we are to positively influence economic growth not only in Namibia but also in the entire SADC region.
It is an ambitious initiative to exploit the country’s latent advantage, its strategic location, to transform Namibia into the preferred logistics and distribution centre for landlocked SADC countries. Through our world-class commercial port at Walvis Bay, international shipping connection and the added advantage of being a secure gateway to the West coast of Africa, Namibia plays an increasingly important role in trade, linking the global economic centres with close to 300 million consumers in Southern Africa.
Thus, the strategic and economic significance of the shared coastline calls for collaboration on ocean security through the establishment of a permanent joint naval force with Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania, with headquarters in Walvis Bay, to form a formidable African navy protecting nearly 6,000 kilometres of coastline.
This should be one of the focus areas of the incoming president, who fortunately will be none other than the seasoned and experienced Namibia’s former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, contrary to those who are daydreaming that come 27 November 2024, they will occupy the Presidency because of what happened in Botswana. Their predictions are missing the target by comparing Namibia with Botswana.
Firstly, there are no factions within the ruling party, unlike what happened to the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). Secondly, the ruling party SWAPO is behind its integrity candidate who is not tainted by corruption and the arrogance that comes with power as happened in Botswana. Thirdly, in a true Pan-Africanist Fanonian and Sankarist fashion, the SWAPO Party presidential candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, is using the weapons of the theory of Amílcar Cabral when he said in 1965 “Hide nothing from the masses of our people. Tell no lies. Expose lies whenever they are told. Mask no difficulties, mistakes, failures. Claim no easy victories…”
Cabral also said “Always bear in mind that the people are not fighting for ideas, for the things in anyone’s head. They are fighting to win material benefits, to live better and in peace, to see their lives go forward, to guarantee the future of their children…”
This is reflected in the SWAPO Party Election Manifesto 2025-2030 under the theme; “Unity in Diversity: Natural Resource Beneficiation and Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development” in order to implement policies that speak to this theme, and address outstanding national developmental goals such as youth unemployment, land redistribution, affordable housing and sanitation, mineral beneficiation and agriculture.
Apart from the above policies, Vice President Nandi Netumbo-Ndaitwah should also consider the idea by the Founding President of extending the railway line from Oshakati to Opuwo and establish the Port of Cape Fria close to the mountains of Kunene full of iron ore in order to have a second port in the country that links the Northern regions to the Trans Kalahari and Trans Zambezi Highways.
I also like the idea of some parties to stimulate the economy by promoting sustainable industries and supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs). There was also a strategy to create a VTC build programme and invest N$5 billion in the VTC graduate renovate, repair and restore programme as well as creating a VTC mobile clinic and government vehicle fleet rebuild programme in order to use vocational training to bridge the skills gap and create the necessary employment opportunities for the youth.
Moreover, Vice President Nandi Netumbo-Ndaitwah could take a leaf from the ideas of the flagbearer of the Ghanaian National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, who pledged to hold a National Economic Dialogue to discuss the true state of the economy and prepare a home-grown fiscal consolidation programme to guide the budget.
In addition, Mahama pledged to prepare for implementing the 24-Hour Economy Policy; convene a national consultative conference on education to build consensus on needed improvements to the sector; Implement the ‘No-Academic-Fee’ policy for all first-year students in public tertiary institutions—universities, colleges of education, nursing training institutions, etc.
Furthermore, he pledged to introduce social interventions such as Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities and the Medical Care Trust Fund; commence the distribution of free sanitary pads to female students in primary and secondary schools and institute inquiries and/or forensic audits into matters of public interest.
Finally, Mahama pledged to roll out ‘Tree for Life’ and ‘Blue Water Initiative’ to heal and sustainably harness the environment; launch a flagship Culture, Arts and Tourism brand to transform the country into a preferred tourism destination and carry out a shakeup of all loss-making SOEs and realign them to break even and transition into profit-making, among others.
As a country, we can emulate some of these forward-looking initiatives not forgetting to make Namibia a Logistics Hub and Headquarters for the SADC Naval Force that would protect nearly 6,000 kilometres of coastline, ensuring the security and sustainability of one of Africa’s most economically vital regions as per the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) trade policy that aims to increase intra-African trade and promote sustainable development and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 of the “The Africa We Want”. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of my employer and this newspaper but solely my personal views as a citizen.
