Caroline Dunaiski, the wife of former ambassador Pius Dunaiski, is contesting the Windhoek West constituency as an Independent Patriots for Change candidate in the upcoming regional council and local authority elections.
Speaking to The Namibian on Wednesday, Dunaiski said she entered the highly competitive and precarious political field because she believes complaining about corruption and misrule is not enough.
“All of us must stand up now. Namibians tend to lament a lot without putting their money where their mouth is. It’s crunch time to stand in the gap for the massive poor majority, who drown in socio-economic desperation and marginalisation. I grew up with a strong compassion for the less privileged since I was a little girl,” she said.
Dunaiski said she was one of the first three Black candidates appointed by South African Airways in 1979 – a historic milestone in the aviation industry.
She has 35 years of intensive aviation training and experience, most of it with South African Airways, as well as an airline management diploma obtained through the International Air Transport Association in Geneva, Switzerland, which she completed with distinction.
She also holds a master’s degree in public management from the University of Potsdam in Berlin, Germany.
“I am fluent in Nama, my mother tongue, English and Afrikaans, and conversant in German and Portuguese. I have a passion for serving our people and changing lives,” she said.
If elected, she said, her focus will rest on three pillars which she regards as the cornerstones of her policy agenda.
These pillars, she explained, focus on inclusivity and high-quality service delivery to deserving Windhoek residents.
“The people are tired of corruption, empty promises, and excuses,” she said.
Asked whether her husband’s history of having worked for the ruling party government could be a liability, Dunaiski said it would not.
She argued that his diplomatic career is an asset, having served about 28 years in foreign service.
“There is nothing that anyone who is honest can hold against him or, by extension, against me. In fact, his international exposure and rich experiences in many countries would only strengthen my ability to integrate the best global benchmarks and networks as a regional councillor. I believe in extraordinary competence in government at all levels,” she said.
