Patience Makwele & Sostenus Wilherm
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has challenged Namibians to move beyond celebrating the country’s liberation and confront the modern-day battles of poverty, unemployment, inequality and corruption, saying the next generation’s struggle is for economic emancipation.
Speaking at the 60th Heroes’ Day commemoration at Heroes’ Acre in Windhoek on Wednesday, the Head of State said the liberation generation had secured political freedom and sovereignty, but the responsibility now rests with the current generation to improve the material conditions of Namibians.
“Political freedom and sovereignty have been won. But every generation has its own struggle. Thirty-six years after independence, ours is the struggle for economic emancipation,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
The President said Namibia must make greater use of its human and natural resources to improve the well-being of its people, identifying poverty, youth unemployment, inequality, corruption, institutional inefficiency, hunger and homelessness as challenges requiring the same determination shown during the liberation struggle.
“We cannot sustain ourselves on past glory alone. We honour the past most meaningfully when we build on what those before us sacrificed to achieve,” she said.
She linked economic transformation to natural resource beneficiation, value addition, youth empowerment, human capital development, research, technology and innovation.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia must support farmers, create opportunities for entrepreneurs, attract productive investment and ensure that the country’s resources translate into improved livelihoods.
“We must ensure that the resources and opportunities of this country translate into dignity and improved livelihood of our people,” she said.
She also challenged Namibians to reconsider what heroism means in a free Namibia, saying courage and sacrifice did not end with the liberation struggle.
She pointed to mothers, fathers, teachers, nurses, farmers, entrepreneurs and public servants who contribute through everyday acts of responsibility and integrity.
A public servant who rejects corruption even when no one is watching, she said, is also a hero.
“These actions may never receive medals or make newspaper headlines, but they all serve the Republic of Namibia and her people,” she said.
Khomas governor Sam Shafishuna Nujoma said heroism had not ended with the liberation struggle, pointing to ordinary Namibians who continue to serve society.
“Their acts open our eyes to the heroes and heroines walking among us today. Those who heal, those who teach, those who grow our food, and those who keep us safe and those who serve our communities quietly,” Nujoma said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah illustrated the point with the story of 16-year-old Cornelius Tulotokela Shimwaafeni of Omutundungu village in the Omusati region, whom she conferred with national hero status during the commemoration.
Shimwaafeni saved nine-month-old twins who had been thrown into a water pond on 17 May 2026, putting his own life at risk.
When asked what he would have done if the children had died, the teenager responded: “I was going to die with them.”
“That is heroism,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
She said Heroes’ day should also honour thousands of Namibians whose contributions to the liberation struggle may never appear in history books.
She cited those who carried messages, provided food and shelter, endured detention, crossed borders, remained behind to sustain families and communities, prayed, organised and resisted.
“Our freedom is their monument,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah’s remarks came against the backdrop of the repatriation and reburial of six liberation heroes earlier this week.
The remains of Eliaser Tuhadeleni, Hafeni Immanuel Shifidi, Nduuvu Fillemon Nangolo, Nathaniel Maxuilili, Simon Petrus Niilenge and Festus Nehale were reburied at Heroes’ Acre on Monday.
She also remembered Brendan Simbwaye and Tobias Hainyeko, whose final resting places remain unknown.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said the sacrifices of the liberation generation created an obligation for the current generation to protect peace, uphold integrity and place Namibia’s interests above personal interests.
“The question history will one day ask of us is simple: What did we do with it?” she asked, referring to the freedom inherited from previous generations.
She said future generations should be able to look back and say that today’s Namibians confronted poverty, reduced inequality, rejected corruption and chose unity over division.
She further stated that the next chapter of Namibia’s history must therefore be defined by action rather than reliance on past achievements.
“A hero is not simply someone remembered for how they died. A hero is also someone remembered for how they lived, whom they served, what they sacrificed and what they left behind for others,” she said.
She urged Namibians to build a country where peace is protected, public service is regarded as a noble calling, integrity is the standard and prosperity becomes a lived reality.
“That will be our tribute. That will be our legacy. And that will be how our generation earns its place among the heroes and heroines of Namibia,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
