Nelson Tuhafeni Kalangula

Youth uprising history 

Namibia has had a long history of youth battling and crying for independence, of which the same was attained by youth participation, but it has now become taboo in modern times for the youth to do so today. 

When one asks what can the youth do to facilitate leadership and subsequently take over, the answer often tends to indicate that they are simply not ready. Now, is it not right to say that; when your children are not ready to lead when you get old, you simply have not raised and prepared them well for their branching out into leadership? 

Until when will the youth be the future if and when their future comes, they are told that they are not ready? Some have been waiting for that future for a long, but they are now getting old and might equally frustrate the generation after them. 

The idea should be about evolving and learning from the old to upgrade into the new and so it continues, but it is evident that there is a blockage in this development.

Succession plan/grooming challenges

Leadership today is not passed on as should be; rather, the elders hold on until the kingdom comes (the kingdom seems not to come), with excuses of calling the youth immature and not ready. One would ask time and again, who prepared them when they were youthful, and who questioned their mistakes when they were attempting to learn from those mistakes? 

The youth age brackets seem to be misunderstood to date; thus, it has become common to find an aged out of youth brackets individuals calling themselves youth or rather occupying youth leadership positions. 

What can one say to justify when our Minister of Sports, Youth and National Service, (example herein) does not fall in those brackets, and not even in the near age brackets, which is quite a representative when one puts it to mind. 

No wonder we are not progressive (is the ministry well understood by its CEO enough to show positive results? Do they understand the generation they represent?). 

Youth age ends at 35 years, but we do not take that into consideration because of what we have become accustomed to. 

Eeshoke Chula-Chula FC has come to give life support to our dying sports (specifically soccer), and to redirect our youth from drugs and alcohol for a moment; it even got the likes of former NFA secretary general Barry Rukoro to throw in remarks that got the nation to debate further.  The point is, that youth engagement is vital and, thus, keeps them out of the street and serves as a grooming tool.  Our sports have been dead and if root cause analysis is done, it will come to finger straight to the appointment of the leading element.  Understanding and knowledge of an era affect leadership, who is better able to understand today’s era than those who are current in that era? 

Please give the youth their flowers while they can smell them. What they do with the flowers is for them to determine, as it will now become their responsibility to pass their torch on to the next-era leadership.  Many Namibians have given it their best with their contribution to the country’s development, and that which needs applause ought to be.  However, it does the country no good if criticism is not taken in to benefit and further such development. Truth be told as everything has a lifespan, so too does leadership and its generation; it is time to check the best before date.

Namibian Acts 

We live by yesteryear’s laws, which is a clear indication that we are still grounded in the years we claim to have left behind. A better understanding, accepting change and having a voluntary handover to the energetic youth is required to allow them to do their part before their era and generation lose their zeal. 

It is time to give the youth their chance to craft and amend these laws/acts by giving them an opportunity to take up roles in driving the country to tailor-fit today’s situation. 

Even though there was so much that could have been done differently and we could have been in a better place today, as a country, we applaud good deeds as well; however, it becomes too much when the negative outweighs the positive.  If and when we do not succeed, we get up and try again with a different approach – and the time for a new broom and approach is now. 

Even though Namibia is diverse, our goal and love for this country remain the same, and we should best utilise that diversity to our advantage for the country’s sake. 

May the youth who are capable please step up and participate in the drive of this country by all fronts and means – and it is a good plea that the political parties, who are to partake in the next election, accord the nation youthful representatives in the upcoming 2024 National Assembly election to have a say in the acts to be onwards. 

“Vote yourself into power” as it was told unto the youth before once upon a time, the youth have to take that advice seriously and go out in numbers and vote for a candidate on merits with the will to clean the country – and in the same vein empower the youth to take the lead. 

We require a leader who empowers Namibian youth to take over after the last few good leaders of this generation are sent packing for retirement.  The minority cannot be in control of the majority – that is not democracy. The youth should prepare to lead, and that should start with participation in the running of our country’s affairs (elections included). 

Shy away from the mentality of “politics is not for me”, because (like it or not) politics dictates your every move. It is, thus, advisable and of best practice to be of participation as a youth.

Namibia is one for all; the youth, being a majority, have their part to play in it for a better tomorrow.  May we prepare to enter the election year of 2024 with a better mindset of youth empowerment, and may the youth equally change their approach on how they see important events like the election because, in the end, the future is theirs and not much for the senior citizens. 

Instead of ‘chilling’ with liquor on this given voting holiday, make it a priority to be part of history and secure a better future for your country by casting your vote in November 2024. 

*Captain/Flight Lieutenant Nelson Tuhafeni Kalangula is a former Namibian Air Force helicopter pilot, an Aviation Safety and Aircraft Accident investigation certificate holder, and an author in the making, with a Bachelor of Commerce Honours and B-Tech Business Administration in academic qualifications.