Mandela Kapere

 In early 1990, I was a seven-year-old child and starting what was then the newly introduced Grade 3 in an independent Namibia. 

The euphoria of achieving independence, the sense of national unity and the hope and optimism brought by this new dawn of freedom characterised most of the early 1990s. These were Namibia’s golden years and will forever colour memories of my childhood.

Everything I am is a product of our independence brought about and secured by Swapo and the thousands of men and women who under its banner sacrificed their lives to bring liberty, dignity and equality of opportunity to all Namibians, irrespective of social economic and other circumstances.

These ideals today remain worth of pursuit; they have been attained by many Namibians in our 29 years of independence, but many more still live too close to the fringes of our economy and are yet to fully access the gains of our freedom achieved just 29 years ago. 

It must therefore be the patriotic desire of all Namibians that we ensure the attainment of the social and economic promises of our liberation for all Namibians.

As a millennial, I am part of a generation of young Namibians born between 1981 and 1996, who bear the unique historical position of having experienced both apartheid colonial rule and the construction of a new Namibia society in the technological and digital era as adolescents and children. In essence, making millennials the link that bridges the aspirations of Namibia’s pre-independence generations with those of generations born after independence and perhaps even with those of generations yet to come.

In our short lives, we have sat at the feet of Namibia’s first, second and third wave of leaders, who have taught us the centrality of our party and its leaders in the history of our people, who have also taught us to appreciate our constitutional republic and to uphold nationalism and Pan-Africanism as the bedrock foundations on which to construct the new proverbial Namibia House. 

My generation and I have the unique responsibility of serving as the bridge between the despair of the past and the hope that our future represents. We are the one generation that links the past to the future, the generation that has the battle scars and cries of our parents etched in our hearts and minds and yet must forge a new future for Namibia anchored in self reliance and steel willed determination to succeed. My generation and I have the unique and challenging task of not only defending our struggle, maintaining its gains but also of constructing a new modern and functional society out of those foundations laid by previous generations. 

The time has come for Namibian society to trust its children with the reins of leadership. It is time that we entrust the future governance and the leadership of society to this generation of young patriots who understand the sacrifices of our veterans and are committed to defending the gains made by Swapo but are also most importantly, attuned to the governance and development demands of our presents day society.

As a millennial, steeled ideologically and politically in the values system espoused by the Swapo Party, I raise my hand as part of a cohort of tens of thousands of young Namibians offering ourselves in the service of our people, country and party. Who see leadership not as an opportunity for self-gratification but as an opportunity to put hands on deck in order to move Namibia forward. 

My generation and I understand the value of living in a harmonious society, therefore we reject the notion that we are at war with the rest of society. We are not. In fact, we believe in the cohesion of the Namibian House and understand very well that social cohesion and harmony are the foundations on which all advancement is bed rocked. 

However, we do bemoan the underutilisation of millennials, our ideas and those of younger generations generally in the further articulation of our nation building and development processes in Namibia. It is our believe that society has prepared us for the task of leading, we are merely demanding the opportunity to do so, working side by side and shoulder by shoulder with others. It is on this basis that I urge support for the 2017 SPYL Congress resolution for more representation of younger generations in the broad leadership structures that will lead our society, including but not limited to political structures of government.

I  [urge] delegates to the 2019 Swapo Party Electoral Convention to support my generation and I, to secure, consolidate and advance Swapo as the leader of the Namibia society and to ensure that Namibia emerges as the lodestar of social progress, social harmony and shared prosperity on the African continent. It is only when we work together as youth and veterans, woman and men (all Namibians) that our common future shall be mutually assured.