{"id":101524,"date":"2026-04-28T13:03:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T13:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/tjitenderos-legacy-shapes-namibias-democracy"},"modified":"2026-04-28T13:14:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T13:14:03","slug":"tjitenderos-legacy-shapes-namibias-democracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/tjitenderos-legacy-shapes-namibias-democracy","title":{"rendered":"Tjitendero&#8217;s Legacy Shapes Namibia&#8217;s Democracy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called on Namibians to defend and strengthen the country\u2019s democracy.<\/p>\n<p>He said the legacy of founding National Assembly Speaker Mose Tjitendero must guide future generations.<\/p>\n<p>She was speaking at Heroes Acre on Sunday during the 20th commemoration of Tjitendero\u2019s passing, alongside former president Nangolo Mbumba and other leaders.<\/p>\n<p>Nandi-Ndaitwah described Tjitendero as a \u201ctowering figure\u201d, whose work continues to shape Namibia\u2019s democratic institutions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe gather not merely to mark the passage of time, but to honour a life that continues to echo through the institutions, values and democratic spirit of our republic,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>She said Tjitendero played a central role in building Parliament after independence and helped lay the foundation for democratic governance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn presiding over the First National Assembly, Cde Dr Tjitendero laid the foundation for Namibia\u2019s democratic governance.<\/p>\n<p>He championed transparency, inclusivity, accountability and the rule of law,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n<p>Nandi-Ndaitwah added that his leadership came at a difficult time when the country was emerging from a divided past.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne can only marvel at the discipline, steadiness and depth of character required to preside over such a chamber&#8230; yet, to do so with dignity, calm authority and unwavering fairness,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>She urged young people to follow his example.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet us emulate his discipline, intellectual curiosity and patriotism&#8230; It is through our actions&#8230; that we truly honour his memory,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Former president Mbumba said Namibia did not only lose a leader, but a symbol of courage and intellect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwenty years ago, Namibia lost&#8230; an irreplaceable luminary who encapsulated youthful gallantry, discipline and unwavering valour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He added that Tjitendero\u2019s legacy goes beyond material wealth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey have left us more than any material wealth can buy.<\/p>\n<p>They have left us freedom, independence and a sense of identity,\u201d Mbumba said.<\/p>\n<p>Mbumba noted that Tjitendero helped shape Namibia\u2019s governance system even before independence through planning and training future leaders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough patriotic duty he left his indelible prints on the foundations of our governance architecture, which continues to shape our communities today,\u201d he said. Speaker of the National Assembly Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said Tjitendero\u2019s leadership strengthened democratic structures.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe establishment of the National Council in 1993 expanded the architecture of Namibia\u2019s democratic governance system, creating a second chamber that brought regional representation into the national legislature,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>She added that these developments were deliberate efforts to build inclusive governance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese were not routine legislative milestones&#8230; they reflected a deliberate effort&#8230; to build institutions that were inclusive, accountable and responsive to the full breadth of Namibian society,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Popular Democratic Movement leader McHenry Venaani said Tjitendero also invested in people who would sustain democracy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe understood that a democracy is only as strong as the quality of those who serve it,\u201d Venaani said.<\/p>\n<p>He also raised concern about the lack of documentation of Namibia\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThings that we don\u2019t do in this country is to write our history, to write the role and the work that was done in the building of our democracy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Tjitendero served as Namibia\u2019s first Speaker of the National Assembly from 1990 to 2004, helping guide the country through its early years of independence.<\/p>\n<p>Speakers at the commemoration agreed that his legacy remains visible in Namibia\u2019s institutions and governance systems today.<\/p>\n<p>Nandi-Ndaitwah said the responsibility now lies with current and future leaders to protect that legacy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we commemorate this solemn occasion&#8230; it is our responsibility to preserve this legacy and inspire future generations with the example set by Dr Tjitendero,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Namibia<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Namibia. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called on Namibians to defend and strengthen the country\u2019s democracy. He said the legacy of founding National Assembly Speaker Mose Tjitendero must guide future generations. She was speaking at Heroes Acre on Sunday during the 20th commemoration of Tjitendero\u2019s passing, alongside former president Nangolo Mbumba and other leaders. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":101523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,12],"tags":[233],"class_list":["post-101524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-policy","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Tjitendero&#039;s Legacy Shapes Namibia&#039;s Democracy - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called on Namibians to defend and strengthen the country\u2019s democracy. 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