The Society of Advocates of Namibia has joined the justice ministry in strongly condemning the stereotyping remarks made by legal aid lawyer Eva Nangolo.
The society in a statement issued yesterday said Nangolo’s remarks, as legal practitioner of the High Court, are “deeply offensive and derogatory”.
Nangolo, who declined to offer comment to The Namibian, on Sunday posted a tweet in which she praised the display of traditional Damara attire by a group of people in Windhoek’s city centre. However, her comments soon turned into a rant about negative stereotypes associated with Damara people.
“The Damara people are doing something beautiful, a cultural identity. I love this. This overshadows that violence (sic) image of breaking bottles, knife stabbing, insults, no culture identity that I only know of,” Nangolo said.
The society yesterday said while advocating free speech, expression and debate, they condemn any form of fundamentalism, tribalism or racism within the legal profession and in Namibia at large.
“Nangolo’s comments aimed at a large group of our population, in this instance the Damara people, were reckless and irresponsible,” the society said.
This is not the first time Nangolo stereotyped the Damara community. In a now resurfaced tweet from October 2022, Nangolo also tweeted: “The food bank is a typical Damara mentality thing… begging bowl day after day. It’s a disgusting way of living and it must end.”
“The sole purpose of the comments appears to be to insult and dehumanise the Damara people and is in violation of their right to dignity and freedom from discrimination protected under articles 8(1) and 10(2) of the Namibian Constitution,” the society said.
The society said Nangolo’s comments go against the oath of admission she took as a legal practitioner to defend and uphold the Constitution.
“It is further disturbing that the latest comments by Nangolo came at a time when the Damara people were celebrating their cultural heritage consistent with article 19 of the Namibian Constitution,” the society said.
On Monday, the Ministry of Justice expressed dismay over Nangolo’s remarks.
The ministry has taken swift action to distance itself from Nangolo’s remarks, which were made in her personal capacity.
Nangolo’s comments were widely circulated on social media and have been criticised for their discriminatory nature, particularly from the members of the Damara community.
The Ministry of Justice has said that it will take urgent action under the Legal Aid Act of 1990 and the Public Service Act of 1995 to address the matter.
“The Ministry of Justice embraces cultural diversity in all its forms and encourages all Namibians to do so. One Namibia, one nation,” ministry spokesperson Edmund Khoaseb said.
Nangolo’s tweet was still up on social media by yesterday afternoon.
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