Ester Mbathera
President-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has pledged to serve all Namibians, regardless of political affiliation.
Speaking to SABC News on Wednesday, she said her leadership will focus on national unity and ensuring that everyone benefits from government policies.
“From now on, even the Swapo Party members, will know Netumbo is a president of all Namibians,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah will be sworn into office on Friday as the country’s 5th and first female president.
She acknowledged divisions following the elections but said her priority is to unite the country.
“Namibia’s unity is very important, and I will keep appealing to all Namibians. As Namibians, we will all be serving our country,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said her government will focus on implementing policies already outlined by the ruling party.
“My priority has been advanced by the Swapo Party, which has identified me to be a candidate and promoted me and finally elected by the majority of the Namibian people. I will not have my own priority. The priorities are already identified in the Swapo Party election manifesto,” said Nandi-Ndaitwah.
According to her, youth unemployment and education are major areas of concern.
“We have many of our learners, students in particular, who some of them have qualifications, but they don’t have employment. Some of them could not finish their studies, maybe for many reasons, including finances, and that is why it’s one of the issues that we have to look at to ensure that a Namibian child should not be prevented from continuing his or her studies because of no capacity for his or her family,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah added that steps have already been taken to address these challenges.
“Before the end of this parliament, which is ending today, we have made it a point, having been directed by the Swapo election manifesto, to amend the act that established the student financial assistance so that it can address the real problems,” she said.
Job creation is another key goal.
“We have identified the areas where jobs can be created—agriculture is one of them, the fishing industry is one of them, the creative industry, the sports industry.
“In the next five years, we must produce at least 500 000 jobs, and that means we have to spend N$85 billion on those programmes,” she said.
During the interview, the president-elect also addressed concerns about corruption in the fishing industry.
“The challenges in terms of the fishing industry have been there since our independence. We put in place mechanisms, laws, and systems to protect our fish, and it has done a commendable job until the case that surfaced in 2019, which is now known in this country as Fishrot,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said efforts are underway to restore trust in the sector.
“It has happened. The case is still going on. We have some ministers who are still in prison, but we have started to work hard to revive the fishing industry for it to play its role in the Namibian economy,” she said.
Regarding the size of her cabinet, she said she is still considering the best approach.
“I still have two or three days to form this cabinet, and I’m looking at so many things which will be able to tell me, should I reduce the cabinet, should it remain as it is, or should I increase it? All the analysis that I’m working with now, will give me the results, and the people of Namibia, the people of the region, will be able to know,” she said.
She also spoke about women in leadership, saying leadership should be based on merit, not gender.
According to Nandi-Ndaitwah, past leaders like Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf paved the way for others.
She urged society to move beyond its old beliefs and recognise contributions from both men and women.
“Societies were denying themselves the brain and the mind of one part of their society, and that is why now there is a high consciousness of the role both men and women can play in society,” she said.
She added that women should push for change beyond their interests.
“Women, they now have to drive it, and by driving it, they should not make it only their case, but it must be made a national, regional, continental, and international one,” she said. “That’s why you see now you find even at the AU level, you have women envoys for the chairperson or women envoys at the UN on behalf of the secretary-general.”
