Namibia's first female president sworn-in on Independence Day

By James Kunda

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was sworn in as Namibia's first female and fifth president on Friday, in a ceremony held simultaneously with the country’s 35th independence anniversary.

The 72-year-old, who was part of the liberation struggle against German colonial rule, succeeds Nangolo Mbumba, who served in a transitional role for a year following the death of Hage Geingob in February 2024.

She took the oath before Namibian Chief Justice Peter Shivute at the nation's State House.

Her inauguration was witnessed by several regional leaders including South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, Zimbabwe's Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is also chairman of the Southern African Development Community, Zambia's Hakainde Hichilema, Tanzania's Samia Suluhu Hassan and Mozambique's Daniel Chapo and Botswana's Duma Boko, both fairly recently elected leaders in the region.

Mbumba expressed gratitude to the Namibian people for his time in the presidency, adding that he was proudly passing the baton to Nandi-Ndaitwah, expressing confidence that she would effectively execute her duties with diligence.

Nandi-Ndaitwah won last December's election by 57.31% of the vote, beating 14 other candidates and extending the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPOs) rule of the country since it gained independence in 1990.