President warns against foreign-fuelled, ‘evil’ calls for regime change

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called for strategies to deal with foreign influences on opposition parties calling for “regime change”.

Speaking at the 2025 Liberation Movement Summit which started on Friday and concludes today in South Africa, she said opposition parties, motivated by foreign policy interests, are actively seeking to topple liberation movements from power by targeting young people.

“We must share with each other strategies on confronting the evil calls for regime change in our respective countries by some foreign forces through opposition parties and civil society,” she said.

She highlighted the outcomes of recent elections as a clear warning.

In Botswana, the Umbrella for Democratic Change recently defeated the 58-year reigning Botswana Democratic Party, and in South Africa, the ruling African National Congress was forced to share the cabinet with opposition parties after suffering heavy losses in recent elections.

Nandi-Ndaitwah won the 2024 presidential race with 57% of the vote, one of the worst performances in Namibia’s electoral history.

She urged the summit to come up with strategies for coordinated migration management, equitable socio-economic development, and the protection of natural resources.

Nandi-Ndaitwah pledged that Swapo will collaborate with sister parties in the quest to deliver a southern Africa where the gains of its liberation benefit all its people.

“Together, we will honour the sacrifices of our forefathers, confront present challenges, and build a future where southern Africa stands as a beacon of freedom, justice, and solidarity for the Global South,” she said.

“Accountability is the cornerstone of our legitimacy and the trust our people have placed in us,” she said.

‘GROWING DISCONNECT’

The president said the growing disconnect between the liberation movements and the younger generation, coupled with the fragmentation of women’s issues and minority representation, demands that they critically assess policies and practices.

“We should redouble our efforts to address socio-economic challenges and empowerment of this constituency,” she said.

Unlike in the past, Nandi-Ndaitwah said these movements face complex and unprecedented challenges, including the rise of populist and reactionary forces, all intensified by a global scramble for Africa’s critical resources, including Namibia’s vast mineral wealth.

She condemned imperialist ambitions, demonstrated by policies that seek to divide Africa and exploit its resources for artificial intelligence, digital technology, and green energy.

“Our first task is to forge a united front, reinforcing that liberation is not an end point, but an ongoing process that requires our sustained commitment, vigilance, and activism,” she said.

The summit will also address socio-economic pressures affecting the region and collectively share measures in responding to challenges such as inequality, youth unemployment and resource security.

‘STOLEN FROM THE PEOPLE’

Popular Democratic Movement president McHenry Venaani says while liberation parties must credit themselves for leading the torch of freedom, the mismanagement of economies with no single country growing more than 5% economically shows that economic liberties for the masses is unattainable.

“They have scientifically stolen from the people and that they need to correct,” he says.

Meanwhile, political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah disagrees with the message the summit is sending.

“The liberation movements haven’t done enough, especially when it comes to economic freedom. Yes, they brought political independence, but they failed us on jobs, poverty, and real development,” he says.

He says Africa has seen a lot of corruption, rising unemployment, and growing inequality. The dream of a better life for all feels like it’s still just a promise, he says.

Kamwanyah says the statements made at the summit are self-congratulatory and out of touch with reality.

Another political analyst, Sakaria Johannes, says liberation movements have failed.

He says they have shifted from being movements to being political parties, with their leaders becoming elitist.

“… and they shifted from being patriots to capitalists.”

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