Namibia’s First Female President Appoints New Women-Majority Cabinet

Namibians will be hoping that the new cabinet constituted by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, and comprising a female majority, will deliver good governance. Over the weekend, Ndaitwah announced a cabinet that reduced the number of ministries from 21 to 14, citing the need to reduce the cost of governance and improve efficiency.

Eight women will be heads of several ministries, including Sanet Steenkamp as the Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, and long-time public administrator Erica Shafudah, who heads the finance and social grants ministry. Ndaitwa also appointed Lucia Witbooi as Vice President. Adding to this progressive representation, Saara Kuugongelwa serves as the Speaker of the National Assembly, having been elected by her fellow members to this key parliamentary leadership role.

Gender and social activist Rosa Namisestold The Namibian that she’s mainly concerned with “the impact these women will have in those roles,” even as she lauded the selection of nine women to these key positions. “We have the numbers in ministerial positions, we must use it positively. These women must now support each other and the men who will be working alongside them to ensure they all deliver.”

Ndaitwah was sworn in on Friday as Namibia’s first female President during a ceremony that coincided with the country’s 35th Independence anniversary celebration.

Since gaining independence from apartheid South Africa, Namibia has been governed by the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO). The recently deceased founding fatherSam Nujoma served as the first president for 15 years.

Ndaitwah, who joined SWAPO in her teens and fought for liberation, continues the party’s hold on power despite its declining popularity. The party has contributed to the rising cost of living and youth unemployment and faces allegations of brazen corruption among government officials.

Ndaitwah has stressed the need for massive job creation, economic policies that improve the lives of Namibians, and addressing the inequalities in the country stemming from the effects of colonialism — the less-than-two percent white population own about 70 percent of arable land in Namibia. The new president has acknowledged there’s much work to be done under her stewardship.

Namibia has elected Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as its first female president. According to results released by the country’s electoral commission, Nandi-Ndaitwah, candidate for the ruling South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), won the election with 57 percent of the vote. The 72-year-old’s outright win nullifies predictions that a runoff might be needed for her victory.

Panduleni Itula came a distant second, with 26 percent of the vote. However, Itula and his party, Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), are disputing the credibility of the results, calling the process “deeply flawed.”

Challenges marred the elections, including the late opening of some polling stations, long queues, technical malfunctions with electronic voter identification tablets and ballot shortages. The electoral commission issued a directive allowing polling units to be open beyond the planned cutoff time. These complications immediately led to opposition parties threatening to reject the result, with the IPC and Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) accusing the commission of voter suppression.

“The rule of law has been grossly violated, and we cannot call these elections by any means or measure as free, fair, and legitimate,” Itula said over the weekend, with provisional results showing he was behind Nandi-Ndaitwah at the time. The IPC and several other opposition parties have vowed to challenge the results in court.

Meanwhile, Nandi-Ndaitwah is celebrating her victory, saying Namibia, “has voted for peace and stability.” The former freedom fighter joined SWAPO as a young woman, and she rose through the ranks to become president after years of serving as foreign affairs minister and deputy prime minister. Following the passing of President Hage Geingob, she was appointed vice president, as he had already selected her to be SWAPO’s next presidential candidate.

Nandi-Ndaitwah, who will join Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan as one of Africa’s two current female presidents, will enter office at a time when the ruling party’s popularity has been greatly reduced. SWAPO has been in power since the country’s independence from apartheid South Africa; however, the party lost its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time in the 2019 elections.

Unlike in South Africa and Botswana, where ruling parties lost the popular vote, SWAPO has narrowly retained its parliamentary majority, winning 51 out of the 96 seats available. The IPC won 20 seats and will now be the official opposition party, taking the position formerly held by the PDM.

For now, Nandi-Ndaitwah and SWAPO maintain the status quo. However, the new president will need to improve the country’s economy, boostjob creation, and change the course of government accountability, as many citizens are unhappy with widespread corruption.

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Over the course of 2024, 20 African countries will be holding elections. For more election coverage, check out our Election Tracker.