President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah surprised guests at the Legal Women’s Conference last week when she appeared unexpectedly at an event she had earlier delegated to Justice Minister Wise Immanuel. The conference, held at the Hilton Hotel in Windhoek, was organised by the Law Society of Namibia to bring together women in the legal profession.

President Nandi-Ndaitwah had initially indicated that she would not attend the event in person, and instead asked Minister Immanuel to deliver her speech. However, to the astonishment of attendees, she quietly entered the venue and took her seat among the audience just before the speech began.

“I came here not just to be heard, but to personally assess the performance of my ministers,” she told the gathering, adding that “it is no longer business as usual in government.”

Minister Immanuel proceeded to deliver the President’s prepared remarks while she listened attentively from the audience. The speech, which focused on women’s leadership in the legal field and beyond, drew applause for its powerful messages and call to collective action.

In her speech, President Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed deep appreciation for the role of women lawyers in shaping Namibia’s legal system. “You are refining the law, restructuring the courtrooms, reshaping the Namibian jurisprudence, rising in leadership and rewriting the norms,” she said.

She spoke of the challenges many women continue to face in a system that was not historically built with them in mind. “The legal fraternity, like many sectors of society, has not always been designed with a woman in mind,” she stated.

However, she was clear that women now have the opportunity—and responsibility—to use their power for the good of others. “We should use it to dismantle the invisible ceilings still pressing down on rural girls, female informal traders, single mothers and even the aspiring young lawyer afraid to speak her truth in a courtroom.”

The President encouraged solidarity and mutual support among women, urging those in leadership to pull others up. 

“Let us support one another – across sectors, across ranks, across generations,” she said. The President added “The success of one woman must never threaten the success of another – it must be a spark for all of us.”

Highlighting her historic presidency, she reminded the audience that her position symbolises broader progress for women in the country. “Today, Namibia has me, a woman, at the helm of the highest office in the land. Tomorrow, it might be you,” she said. “This is not just symbolic – it is a practical, effective and meaningful transformation in our lifetime.”

She urged women to lead with “unapologetic excellence” and to leave behind legacies of real impact. “As women leaders in law, our legacy must be more than our official titles or judgments. It must be about the impact we leave on the lives we touch, the systems we reform, and the future we shape.”

President Nandi-Ndaitwah ended her address with a strong message of unity and forward momentum. “Let us be the indisputable evidence that women not only belong at the table, but they can design and build the table.”

The event drew participation from judges, legal scholars, advocates and students, many of whom said the President’s surprise appearance, according to Immanuel, was not only encouraging but served as a clear sign of her commitment to accountability and hands-on leadership.

President Nandi-Ndaitwah concluded with a call to collective leadership: “This is our time. Let us rise together, for I know we can.”