The South African Cabinet on Thursday congratulated the newly elected Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah following her victory in the country’s Presidential election held last week.
Nandi-Ndaitwah, a 72-year-old veteran of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), becomes the first female President in the history of Namibia.
Addressing a media briefing in Cape Town, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said Cabinet commended the people of Namibia for coming out in their numbers to vote in the elections and called on everyone to allow the Electoral Commission of Namibia space to finalise the results of the Presidential and National Assembly.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia said it was overwhelmed by the high number of people who turned out to vote.
Nandi-Ndaitwah garnered 57.31% of the vote, beating 14 other candidates and crossing the 50% threshold to avoid a runoff.
She will be Namibia’s fifth president and Africa’s fourth female leader after Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia between 2006 and 2018, Malawi’s Joyce Banda from 2012 to 2014 and Tanzania’s incumbent Samia Suluhu Hassan.
The incoming president was previously SWAPO vice-president to President Hage Geingob, who died in February 2024 and to the outgoing President Nangolo Mbumba, who continued in a transitional role after Geingob’s demise.
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