Namibian women poised to rule for decades – former defence chief Martin Shalli

Former Namibian Defence Force (NDF) chief Martin Shalli says Namibia is poised to be led exclusively by women presidents for the next 35 years.

Speaking at a Swapo campaign rally at Ombafi in the Omusati region on Saturday, Shalli said women make good presidents and should lead the country in the coming decades.

“After comrade Netumbo, there will be another woman, and after that, another woman, because they make good leaders. Even in the villages, if you want to live in the best village ever, then have a headwoman,” he said.

Shalli said any man aspiring to be Namibia’s president would have to wait.

“You can be a councillor, you can be anything, but president? Forget it. This is for women only,” he said.

Swapo has long promoted its ‘zebra’ gender representation system to ensure gender parity in leadership structures.

Political analyst Henning Melber says Shalli’s view risks turning gender into the sole qualification for the highest office. “This contradicts democracy and would require a change of constitutional principles,” he says.

“If a woman is elected for both party leadership and the Presidency because she is the best qualified candidate, there should be no time limit. It could always happen, even beyond 35 years.

“But if the precondition for being elected is being a woman, it eliminates other meaningful qualifications. This can also be an insult to capable women who deserve to be elected based on merit,” he says.

Human rights activist Rosa Namises welcomes Shalli’s remarks, saying it is significant that such a sentiment comes from a man.

“As someone who has dreamed of these opportunities for many years, I am so happy that a man said it first. That tells me trust is being built for women to lead. When other men hear that, they will feel comfortable with the idea,” she says. Namises says Shalli’s comments should inspire women across the political spectrum to strengthen their leadership aspirations.

“It is important that a Swapo member says that, but it also means not all future women presidents would necessarily come from Swapo. We must start dreaming that this country can be governed by any capable woman,” she says.

Political analyst Rui Tyitende says Namibia’s leadership choices should not be determined by gender.

“Given our current socio-economic situation, the primary concern should be the technical and leadership capacity of the person, not their sex.

“There are incompetent women and incompetent men. Let us choose the most competent among us to lead – regardless of sex.”

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