Metumo Ndina-Omukulili  Mungungu 

In March 1990, Namibia obtained its independence from Apartheid South Africa. I was not born yet, but from the stories told by those who were present, it seemed to have been a day of great celebration and joy for the entire nation. 

The birth of the new Namibia was purported to be a harbinger of “winds of change”. Our founding president declared not just political, but also economic and social freedoms. Independence was to be the start of a new beginning for the country - jobs would be viably made available, land would be equally distributed, quality education would be accessible to all and poverty would be a thing of the past. Namibians were confident that having rid the country of the insidious foreign rule would result in every Namibian receiving a slice of the cake baked with Namibia’s natural resources. They were certainly convinced that discrimination and disdain based on one’s background would be history. 

And they believed that the provision of essential services would be efficiently executed, for all Namibians. Everyone was anticipant and many had high hopes for the country. 

It is now 2023. 

I have had no experience of the system of institutionalised racial segregation and I was not present when black Namibians (a majority of the population) were explicitly disenfranchised, degraded and brutalised in their own country. 

In other words, I am a part of the generation that is colloquially referred to as “uunona va Sem’a” (Sam’s children). New Namibia was but a mere child, six years free, when I was born. I, therefore, grew up during a period when our country was but at the dawn of transitioning into a democratic nation. Namibia has been “free” for 33 years and I am cognizant of the fact that our nation is, by definition, still a young republic. We have been oppressed for so much longer than we are (politically) free. But regardless of the science of time, I am here to contest that the freedom that was supposedly attained by Namibia in 1990 is counterfeit. 

The youth of today continue to be products of the ongoing struggle for socio-economic freedom and a majority of Namibians are still battling inequity and exclusion of the systems. 

This means that many black girls and boys born in the new Namibia, although born ‘free’, have not only inherited a history of oppression, no, but we have also inherited the battle for liberation. Many Namibian girls and boys have seen their parents toil and do ‘undignified’ work to put bread on the table. We have seen our parents painfully fast so that we, their children, can share the little available food. 

The generation before us fought for political freedom and autonomy, and theirs was the cornerstone we needed for the onset of total reform, but we are still far from the goal. The main goal is holistic freedom for all Namibians. 

While the generation of the veterans fought for self-rule, the generation of the born-frees is here to fight for economic, financial and social freedoms, not only for the current generation but also for those to come after us. A disputable fact, however, is that while the generation of veterans fought a system of imperialism birthed from outside lands, we are fighting a system of oppression nurtured by our people. 

The assignment of the born-frees is therefore to fight the systems and structures mothered by the new generation villains, who ironically look like them. These systems of economic exclusion, high unemployment, corruption, wealth and income inequality, entrenched poverty, and delays to land reform among many other challenges facing New Namibia continue to sway the future of the youth of this country. 

Zimbabwean politician, Fadzayi Mahere writes, “Those who were once modelled as heroes can eventually morph into the very villains they once fought”. 

If you dare study the complexities of history over time, you may come to learn that one thing colonial oppressors have in common with post-independence African politicians is that they actually play from the same playbook. 

The heroes of the struggle for political freedom have morphed into the villains of a different but related struggle, with a flair of subtly of course. A major contrast, though, is that while colonial oppressors were explicit and unequivocal about their systems of oppression, post-independence leaders display tacit subjugation whitewashed with upper-class putrescence and decay, also known as elitism. 

To be fair, I take note of the fact that many adult Namibians (inclusive of our political leaders) today, were children and youth during the liberation struggle. They have undergone a bloodstained, inhumane and painful past. Therefore, given the fact that they were firsthand witnesses, victims and possibly participants in the brutal and cold-bloodedness of the past regime, it is to be expected that most suffered wounds as no human being can escape unscathed from overt cruelty. 

In other words, a hefty number of those in political leadership today are psychologically wounded, and I take understanding to such. However, a perpetrator of a wrong cannot be cleared of the wrong simply because they were formerly victims of the same wrong by another. Equally, a wounded leader who was a victim of injustice and a brutal government cannot be absolved from accounting for bad leadership simply because they were previously victims of the same acts. 

As the generation of born-frees, we have good reasons to be fed up with the new generation villains. It is no secret, that most politicians have done little to improve the welfare of the Namibian people, while they and their cronies live in opulence. Power is abused and accountability is disregarded. One would expect a democratic country to produce effective leaders who care about the people and the development of the nation, but that is not the case in Namibia. In essence, the citizen’s expectations have remained broadly unfulfilled. To put it another way, the people of Namibia remain colonised and unfree. The big question is, what role can we as young people play to effect change and reformation for an economically, politically and socially freer state? 

*Metumo Ndina-Omukulili Mungungu is a truth, integrity and morality activist. She is also a writer in her own right.