March 21 marked a historic milestone for Namibia as Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (ne-tam-bo-nan-dee-n-detuwah) was sworn in as the country’s first female president. After winning a resounding victory in last November’s election, Nandi-Ndaitwah pledged to uphold the rights of all Namibians and work toward shared prosperity.
She said, “The task facing me, as the fifth president of the Republic of Namibia, is to preserve the gains of our independence on all fronts and to ensure that the unfinished agenda of economic and social advancement of our people is carried forward with vigor and determination to bring about shared, balanced prosperity for all.”
Her speech, however, comes as LGBTQ Namibians face rising legal threats. In 2023, MP Jerry Ekandjo introduced bills that sought to criminalize same-sex marriages, even if performed legally outside Namibia. The bills failed to pass, but a separate law, the Marriage Act of 2024, now bans same-sex unions and imposes penalties of up to four years in prison or a $1,000 fine for violators. Meanwhile, last July, Namibia’s High Court struck down colonial-era sodomy laws, a move hailed as a victory for LGBTQ rights. Activists now await Nandi-Ndaitwah’s actions on equality, as Namibia’s LGBTQ community remains in legal uncertainty.
