Africa-Press – Namibia. First gentleman Denga Ndaitwah has expressed deep concern over what he calls a “crisis of broken men” in Namibia.
Statistics show that men are responsible for the overwhelming majority of crime, gender-based violence (GBV) and suicides in the ||Kharas region, he says.
Ndaitwah was speaking at the official opening of the Men’s Conference and celebration of International Men’s Day 2025 at Keetmanshoop on Wednesday, where he urged men to confront the reality of their behaviour and rebuild themselves if they hope to restore families and communities.
He said recent statistics provided to him by the Keetmanshoop police paint a troubling picture.
Between January 2024 and October 2025, 191 drug-related cases were reported in the region, and men accounted for 165 of them.
Ndaitwah said this represented 86% of all cases and showed how deeply men were entangled in criminal activity.
“This is terrible. We were so greedy to take it all. If crime can be shared, why don’t we share it with our mothers? Why must we take everything?” he asked.
Ndaitwah said men were also at the centre of violent crimes recorded in the same period.
He pointed to 71 rape cases, 14 murders and 525 assault incidents, and said the numbers suggest someone is being punched every passing second. He said this level of violence reflects a larger societal breakdown driven largely by men.
The police also recorded 70 incidents of malicious damage to property, bringing the total number of GBV incidents in the region to 680.
Ndaitwah said 95% of those cases involved male perpetrators, again underscoring the role men play in fuelling violence and insecurity.
He further expressed concern about the prison population, saying all 88 inmates currently held at correctional facilities in the region are men.
He said this should not be viewed as normal or acceptable.
“We have to be very ashamed. It now looks as if prison is only meant for men. This is criminality committed by men. It is terrible,” he said.
Ndaitwah also raised the alarm over suicide trends, saying 85% of suicides recorded in 2023 were committed by men.
He said suicide involves planning and internal conflict, urging men to resist self-destructive impulses.
“These figures are not just numbers. They are true reflections of broken men in our society,” he said.
“We have broken men, broken homes and broken values. Something is broken, and it must be fixed.”
Ndaitwah said his role as first gentleman has motivated him to develop an agenda that focuses on boys’ and men’s well-being.
He said Namibia has made important gains in supporting girls, but men and boys have been left behind in areas of emotional support, social guidance and identity formation.
“When men rise with purpose, families will heal. When men take responsibility, communities will grow. When men lead with integrity, the nation will prosper,” he said.
“But we cannot prosper if men are breaking instead of building.”
He urged participants at the conference to use the next three days to interrogate the root causes of male-led violence, brokenness and self-harm, rather than merely addressing symptoms.
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