A legal aid lawyer, Eva-Maria Nangolo, is facing backlash over a comment she made on her personal Twitter account regarding the Damara people.

The lawyer, whose remarks were seen as tribal and discriminatory, praised the cultural identity of the Damara people while condemning the violent image associated with them.

“The Damara people are doing something beautiful, a cultural identity. I love this. This overshadows that violence image of breaking bottles, knife stabbing, insults, no culture identity that I only know of them,” Nangolo tweeted.

The Ministry of Justice quickly distanced itself from the comments and emphasised its commitment to promoting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Namibians.

The lawyer’s tweet has sparked widespread criticism on social media, particularly from members of that community, and the ministry has pledged to take “urgent” action under the Legal Aid Act and the Public Service Act to address the matter.

“The Ministry of Justice embraces cultural diversity in all its forms and encourages all Namibians to do so. One Namibia, one nation,” justice ministry spokesperson Edmund Khoaseb said.

Member of parliament Yvette Araes expressed her strong condemnation of the comment, calling it “disgusting” and referring to the lawyer as an “ill character tribalist woman” in a reply to the tweet.

Meanwhile, veteran journalist Jemima Beukes warned that such remarks can fuel tribal conflicts and pointed out that harmful stereotypes are often used to discriminate against members of the Damara community in employment opportunities.

“Lest we forget, these types of stereotypes are the reason members of the Damara community are overlooked for jobs,” she replied to the tweet.

Approached for a comment, Nangolo said she has not seen or been summoned by the ministry and refused to comment further.

“I cannot comment,” she said.

-ashikololo@nep.com.na