NNN: ‘Beskuldigde Nommer Een’ who defied the odds

On 29 October 1952, Anglican clergyman Petrus Shindabi Nandi and his wife Nekoto welcomed their ninth child – a girl they named Ndemupelila Netumbo Nandi. Born in a family of 13 children at Onamutai village in modern-day Oshana Region, Netumbo grew up in an environment where both religion and culture were deeply ingrained.

Netumbo grew up exposed to a blend of religion, culture and politics, all of which shaped her worldview. She recalled attending church and then listening to political rallies, which ultimately motivated her to join Swapo in 1966. Today, 59 years after obtaining her Swapo membership, she is on the brink of becoming Namibia’s first female president - and the country’s fifth overall – on 21 March 2025.

This, after she navigated two recent hurdles. First, she emerged victorious at the highly-contested 2022 Swapo elective congress, where she was elected party vice-president and this candidate for the 2024 national presidential election, and then survived the 2024 presidential election from whose ruins of Swapo she emerged as winner.



Turning point

Netumbo's first active political role came in 1970 when she became chairperson of the Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) in the former Owamboland. Her turning point, however, came in 1972 when she and other youths led a general workers’ strike that resulted in the burning of veterinary kraals in the north. As a result, she was arrested and imprisoned at Ondangwa. She was given the title ‘Beskuldigde Nommer Een’ (accused number one) in court, a name that stuck with her among her peers. Sentenced to a suspended prison term of three years, she later escaped into exile in 1974.

In exile, she occupied various positions within Swapo, but her post-independence contributions solidified her reputation among voters. She served as deputy minister of foreign affairs between 1990 and 1996, then as director of women’s affairs from 1996 to 2000. She entered Cabinet in 2000 as minister of women’s affairs, a role she held until 2005. She later served as minister of information from 2005 to 2010, before moving to the tourism ministry for two years. Since 2012, she has held the position of minister of international relations, in addition to being deputy prime minister. However, in February 2024, after the sudden death of president Hage Geingob, she was appointed as the country’s vice-president, replacing Nangolo Mbumba who was elevated to president.



Drafting

In 2017, Nandi-Ndaitwah was drafted into Geingob’s slate ahead of the Swapo congress, which led to her becoming Swapo’s vice-president, making her the heir apparent to the party’s presidential candidacy for the 2024 elections. While she was understood to have sought Geingob’s public endorsement, the late president refused to endorse any candidate – leaving Nandi-Ndaitwah to battle it out on her own. Just like her rivals.

Nandi-Ndaitwah is widely regarded as having an unblemished record in government, with no corruption allegations tied to her name. When she is not attending to her government duties, Nandi-Ndaitwah enjoys reading. That’s if she is not working the land at Onheleiwa yaNghiwete in the Okongo area, where her family resides. She is also an avid sports enthusiast, enjoying squash and netball, and stays active through regular walking.