Women’s political representation was strengthened in Namibia in March, when Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the country’s first woman president, appointed a gender-balanced cabinet and another woman, Lucia Witbooi, as her vice-president – also a first for the country. Nandi-Ndaitwah announced her cabinet on 22 March, a day after she was sworn in as president, revealing that eight of the 14 ministers (57.1 per cent) were women (up from 42.9 per cent in the previous government). According to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Namibia is only the third African country to achieve a gender-balanced cabinet and the first in which women hold the positions of both president and vice-president. Further, on 21 March, Namibia’s National Assembly elected its first woman speaker, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, who had previously served as the country’s Prime Minister. 

Sources: The Namibian (1), British Broadcasting Corporation, African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, The Namibian (2)  

On 30 December, Namibia gazetted a new law outlawing same-sex marriage. The Marriage Act, which was signed by President Nangolo Mbumba on 2 October 2024, defines marriage as ‘a legal union…between two persons of the opposite sex’ and explicitly excludes recognition of same sex marriages, wherever they were concluded. While Namibian law did not previously recognise same-sex marriages concluded in the country, the Marriage Act appears to contradict a May 2023 Supreme Court ruling which, on constitutional grounds, recognised such marriages when concluded abroad. By defining sex solely as assigned at birth, the law also excludes the marriage rights of heterosexual transgender persons. An official who conducts a marriage that contravenes these provisions is liable to a prison sentence of up to four years and/or a fine. As of mid-January 2025, the government had not announced when the Marriage Act would come into force, as the legislation requires.

Sources: Marriage Act, The Namibian, International IDEA, Mamba Online, Namibian Sun.  

Namibia’s ruling party, the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) won the country’s general election, which was originally scheduled for 27 November but later extended in some areas to 30 November. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah won the presidential election with 58.1 per cent of the popular vote, and SWAPO secured 51 of the 96 (53.1 per cent) directly elected seats in the National Assembly, the lower chamber of the country’s bicameral parliament. The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) came second, winning 20 seats, followed by Affirmative Repositioning (6 seats). Turnout for the presidential election was 76.1 per cent of registered voters (up from 60.8 per cent in 2019) and 75.7 per cent for the legislative contest (up from 60.4 per cent). Nandi-Ndaitwah was the only woman among the 15 presidential candidates and is set to become Namibia’s first female president. The election results, however, were disputed by opposition parties, who alleged several irregularities. In early December, they were reported to be preparing legal challenges. International election observers, while noting logistical problems and delays, concluded that the elections had been peaceful and conducted in accordance with Namibia’s legal framework.

Sources: Electoral Commission of Namibia (1), Electoral Commission of Namibia (2), International IDEA, The Conversation, The Windhoek Observer, Daily Maverick, African Union Election Observation Mission, SADC Electoral Observation Mission   

In late November, Namibians elected Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as the country’s first female president (and the first in Southern Africa). According to official results, Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is a member of the governing South West Africa Peoples Organisation (SWAPO) party, won 58.1 per cent of the popular vote and is due to be inaugurated on 21 March 2025. She currently serves as Namibia’s Vice-President and has previously held several ministerial positions.

Sources: Electoral Commission of Namibia, The Namibian, British Broadcasting Corporation, The Conversation

Voter turnout in Namibia’s presidential and parliamentary elections reached a two-decade high. According to data from the Electoral Commission of Namibia, 76.1 per cent of registered voters cast their ballot in the presidential election and the figure was slightly lower for the parliamentary poll (75.7 per cent). Compared to the previous general election in 2019 (when turnout for the presidential election was 60.8 per cent and for the parliamentary elections it was 60.4 per cent), these represent increases of 15.3 percentage points. Ninety-one per cent of eligible voters were registered to vote in the 2024 elections.    

Sources: Electoral Commission of Namibia (1), Electoral Commission of Namibia (2), International IDEA, The Namibian

In a judgement delivered on 21 June, Namibia’s High Court struck down colonial-era laws criminalising same-sex conduct, ruling that they unfairly discriminated against gay men and were therefore unconstitutional. According to the Human Dignity Trust, an NGO, it is unclear whether, since independence, anyone engaged in consensual same sex activity had been convicted under the ‘sodomy’ and ‘unnatural sexual offences’ laws. It stated, however, that there had been arrests and that the laws had enabled stigma and discrimination that had affected the whole of the LGBTQIA+ community. The case was brought by prominent Namibian LGBTQIA+ activist, Friedel Dausab.  

Sources: High Court of Namibia, The Conversation, Human Dignity Trust