Pohamba tells youth to continue with Nujoma’s legacy

Former president Hifikepunye Pohamba has called on young Namibians not to abandon founding president Sam Nujoma’s capital projects.

He was speaking at Nujoma’s memorial service at Etunda village in the Omusati region last week.

“I would like to tell my fellow Namibian citizens, particularly the young ones, that the programmes that Sam Nujoma has put up must continue, even if he is no more there,” Pohamba said.

He said Nujoma, as the country’s first president, set up capital projects in the social, economic and education sectors that need to be brought to fruition.

“The country must continue developmental projects, as well as social projects, plus educational projects, even after Sam Nujoma – even after the president who is going to come after 100 years from today,” he said.

Pohamba said realising these projects emphasises that Nujoma is “free forever”.

“Because Sam said Namibia is free, and it is free forever. The name of Sam Nujoma is also going to live forever,” Namibia’s second president said.

He said people will know Nujoma freed Namibia for years to come.

NUJOMA’S CAUSES

Nujoma implemented the national reconciliation policy, Vision 2030, and land reform and resettlement programmes.

These programmes are currently either partially implemented or are faced with challenges.

One of these is Vision 2023.

Last month, the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development said the lack of implementation frameworks, skills and capacity will prevent Vision 2030 from coming to fruition.

Similarly, in 2020, the National Assembly rejected the adoption of a national reconciliation policy, because the house was divided.

Over the last few years, Namibia has seen several divisive incidents, such as deputy minister of works and transport Veikko Nekundi accusing National Assembly speaker Peter Katjavivi of being tribalist in his rulings last year.

On land reform, the government has implemented six of the 34 resolutions taken at the second land conference between 2018 and 2023. However, the government continues to acquire land for resettlement. In the previous financial year, the land reform minister bought seven farms meant to resettle generational farmworkers.

Another issue is that thousands of unemployed youth roaming the streets are unemployable because of a lack of required skills.

Currently, Namibia has the highest unemployment rate in the Southern African Development Community, with thousands of graduates leaving university with no job prospects.

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