Namibia has finally reached 50/50 gender equality in the National Assembly, thanks to the various political parties implementing 50/50 gender equality in their leadership structures.
Namibia’s commitment to gender equality is one of the most exemplary in Africa.
Speaker Peter Katjavivi said Namibia’s experience would serve as a yardstick for other parliaments. He, however, stated that efforts should be employed to make sure that the status quo is sustained.
“In the National Assembly today, we are talking about 50/50 gender representation. This is something we should encourage and sustain. It should become part of our culture and values, and not be a once-off development”, appealed Katjavivi.
PDM’s Charmaine Tjirare is impressed with the Namibian parliament’s latest achievements, and called for the introduction of an electoral gender quota system.
“I would like to applaud the Namibian parliament for this achievement. However, more can be done, especially in the National Council, which has not even come close to that. I would like to implore that perhaps a law be introduced to sustain the number of both women and youth. We also don’t want women who just make up the numbers. We want women who are vocal and can add value to issues of national concern”, added Tjirare.
Women's representation in the National Council has remained stubbornly low at just over 14%.
Vice chairperson of the National Council Victoria Kauma said there is a need to create awareness among women about the importance of participating in politics.
“Namibia is even on the verge of having a female president. This is a welcome development. As women MPs, we have a role to play by creating awareness among women, especially in rural areas, about the importance of participating in politics”, she added.
Women’s representation in parliaments worldwide has increased slightly from 26.5% to 26.9% this year. These statistics were collated after over 60 parliaments in 52 countries held their parliamentary elections in 2023. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the third-highest at over 27%.
This came to light in a report during the meeting of the Forum of Women parliamentarians at the 148th IPU Assembly currently underway in Geneva, Switzerland.
Furthermore, Namibia has ascribed to international and regional legal instruments and protocols aimed at achieving gender equality, including the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, 1997) and its Optional Protocol; and Agenda 2030, also known as the SDGs.
The attainment of gender parity in one House of Parliament was applauded by President Nangolo Mbumba during his State of the Nation Address, attributing the achievement to the commitment and efforts by late president Hage Geingob.
“Women and young people were appointed to senior leadership positions. Namibia has achieved the highest female representation in Parliament at 50%, and 41% in the Executive” said Mbumba.
Statistics obtained from the National Assembly indicate that out of 104 members, there are indeed 52 male and 52 female parliamentarians.
Namibia’s statistics further show that all political parties with more than one representative in parliament have at least one woman parliamentarian.
For instance, the All People’s Party (APP) has two members of parliament, of whom one is a woman. The CDVP have one, while the LPM has four seats, of whom one is a women. NEFF and Nudo each have two seats. One of the Nudo members, the party’s president Utjiua Muinjangue, is a woman. The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) has 16 seats, of which eight seats are occupied by women and eight by men.
The party recently replaced two male members, the UPM’s Jan van Wyk and Frans Bertolini with two female members, Katrina Benz and Loide Iipinge.
The RDP has one seat, RP two seats, Swanu one and the UDF two seats. Swapo has 63 seats, of which 35 are occupied by women.
Parliamentary statistics indicate that there are 49 male MPs out of 96 elected MPs, excluding three (out of the eight presidential appointees). APP, CDVP, NUDO, RDP, RP and Swanu each have one male in parliament, whereas NEFF and UDF have two male MPs each. The LPM has three, PDM eight and Swapo 28.
There are 47 female MPs out of 96 elected members. Five female leaders are appointed by the president. Out of the 47 females, one each from APP, RP, LPM and Nudo, eight from PDM, and Swapo has 35.
At ministerial level, there are 21 ministers, of whom 12 are male and nine are female.
Various political parties and gender activists hailed the achievement as a milestone towards breaking the glass ceiling of inequality at the legislature level in Namibia.
“It demonstrates a tangible commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment in political decision-making. However, there’s still no significant gap in genuine representation for women across various sectors of society. This indicates a need for further examination and action to address systemic inequalities beyond legislative measures,” Landless People’s Movement Youth Command leader Duminga Ndala said.
She revealed that her party has policies and programmes which allow the equal access of women and men within political and electoral processes.
“We prioritise the empowerment of women across all levels of the party structures. During our previous people’s assembly (congress), women were given preference for election at all party levels. Additionally, in terms of public representatives, women are adequately represented,” Ndala noted.
She further said the LPM organises training programmes and workshops specifically aimed at empowering women to take on leadership roles within the party and in parliament, as well as advocates for the implementation of gender-sensitive policies and legislation which promotes women’s rights in and addresses issues such as gender-based violence, economic empowerment and healthcare access.
The LPM has one woman serving in the top six of the party, 38 at the national convention (central committee), and 35 women serving at the local authority level.
Swapo has also reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring gender equality at all levels of decision-making processes.
“Swapo created a women’s wing to advance women’s issues, and to make sure that a reduction in gender inequality is attained,” said Fransina Kahungu, secretary of the Swapo Party Women’s Council.
She, however, acknowldeged that regardless of the attainment of gender equality at parliamentary level, much needs to be done to redress the imbalance in women’s roles in the administrative hierarchy.
“The government should make a regular review of flows and structures of women and men in various types of decision-making and influencial positions at various levels.
Provision should be made to intensify the training of women at the non-formal and formal levels. This should include adult literacy and vocational training programmes. The latter would be particularly useful in opening up opportunities for women’s employment in ranching, manufacturing, cottage and handicraft industries and other informal sector activities,” Kahungu stated.
She said Swapo is grooming young women into leadership positions and for participation in decision-making structures by involving and engaging them in party and SPWC positions of authority and responsibility at local and regional level.
Meanwhile, Genderlinks country coordinator Veronika Haimbili has hailed the achievement as a move on the right direction.
“The 50/50 male-female ratio in Namibia’s parliament is a significant step forward in breaking the glass ceiling of inequality. We always hoped for this change, but seeing it now is truly exciting. The numbers prove it - Namibia is making real progres” she enthused.
Said Haimbili: “We’ve worked tirelessly to reach this point, with programmes to train women in politics, and campaigns to challenge old ideas about gender roles. Every effort has played a part in creating a fairer political system.
Gender equality in parliament is just one step towards a more equal society. We must keep pushing to remove unfairness in all areas of life, and make sure everyone’s rights are respected. So, this milestone isn’t the end - it’s a new beginning. It inspires us to keep working hard until everyone, no matter their gender, gets the respect and fairness they deserve in every part of life”.
For her part, chairperson of the Berseba Village Council and gender activist Felicia Motinga said while mobilising, advocating, lobbying and promoting women’s participation, it should be done in a participatory way with men.
“Women parliamentarians must involve men, because it takes men as well as women to change gender relations,” she observed.
Motinga, therefore, encouraged young women to take up leadership roles and responsibilities in community-based income- generating projects, and in social groups in which they are affiliated.
-Additional reporting by George Sanzila