Africa-Press – Namibia. Rudolf Gaiseb
Landless People’s Movement parliamentarians boycotted the State of the Nation Address (Sona) by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Wednesday, a move the latter has since branded unfortunate.
“It is unfortunate that the LPM chose not to participate in the State of the Nation Address by Her Excellency Dr Netumbo Nandi- Ndaitwah. As elected representatives, such platforms provide an important opportunity to raise and address concerns, and their absence represents a missed opportunity in that regard,” presidential spokesperson Jonas Mbambo said yesterday.
In response, Nandi-Ndaitwah added: “Regardless of how we differ politically, dialogue is pivotal in a democracy. Stepping away from such platforms does not lessen the challenges we face as a country; they are best addressed through collective engagement.”
In a statement, LPM said their lawmakers chose to boycott and described the SONA as a “purely” ceremonious activity that attempts to hide a “poor governmental performance” that uses “recycled tactics of governance”.
LPM spokesperson Lifalaza Simataa said the party is tired of these tactics.
“Year after year this platform has been reduced to political theatre, where administrators who have been in leadership since independence, in some shape or form, present you with promises that never reach the lived reality. The administration continues to promise heaven in points of housing, employment, education and development, yet the reality is far from those discussions,” he wrote in a statement on Wednesday evening.
This was Nandi-Ndaitwah’s second Sona since her maiden address in 2025.
But LPM has accused the current administration of reusing jargon and recycling and re-expressing promises “with new taglines”.
“They fail to achieve their own promises and find less than clever ways to explain failures as progress. The administration fails to provide clear direction, credible leadership or meaningful solutions to every crisis facing our nation,” the LPM spokesperson continued.
Simataa added Nandi-Ndaitwah promised to deliver about 250 000 jobs “with enthusiasm loudly pronounced. A teaspoon of job opportunities cannot be compared to the grand promise.”
According to LPM, the Sona platform does not allow for actual debate or even meaningful contribution that adjusts the projection and direction of the country’s ability to digest the expressions made by the president and then have discourse on the address and what it expresses.
However, Mbambo reiterated that “the president remains committed to constructive engagement with all stakeholders and has emphasised that we all have a part to play in building our country together.”
Meanwhile, on the day, Speaker of the National Assembly Saara Kuugongelwa- Amadhila told members of Parliament the president would engage in an active dialogue with the elected representatives of the electorate during the Sona.
This engagement was a question-and-answer session between the president and the parliamentarians.
The speaker highlighted the importance of the event, stating that through this process democratic accountability and governmental transparency are actively sustained, underpinning the constitutional order. During her address, among others, Nandi-Ndaitwah reported to the nation that during the 2025/26 financial year, 13 operational investment projects valued at over N$4 billion generated 1 503 jobs.
Fifteen more projects worth N$63.5 billion are underway, including the Osino Gold and Bannerman Etango Uranium mines, with 1 934 jobs already created and 24 195 projected at full operation, she said.
According to the record of the Social Security Commission, Nandi-Ndaitwah said that over 130 000 people were registered as new employees during the 2025/26 financial year.
About the 500 000 jobs, the president said that the government alone is not going to create these jobs.
They are expected to be generated through economic growth, especially within the private sector and emerging industries as well as through agriculture.
A policy on value addition is expected by the end of 2026, which Nandi-Ndaitwah stated would create “a lot of jobs” by ensuring natural resources like copper are processed within Namibia.
In the agriculture sector, the livestock value chain is Namibia’s largest agricultural employer.
The sector currently provides over 45 000 direct jobs in primary production and 12 000 high-value technical roles within export and processing facilities. It supports the livelihoods of about 70% of our population.
On the other hand, in the 2025/26 financial year, about 604 serviced erven were delivered in Otjiwarongo and Omaruru.
Land-servicing initiatives have also begun in Windhoek (5 000 erven) and in Walvis Bay, Rundu, Oshakati, and Keetmanshoop (each with 1 200 erven).
The National Housing Enterprise delivered 112 housing units in various locations under the affordable low-cost housing programme, including 58 units through the Mass Housing Development Project (MHDP) in Windhoek and 106 units by the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia across all 14 regions.
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
