NNN says ill-health rumours a ‘shame’

President-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has described claims that she is not healthy enough to lead the nation as a “shame”.She also said in addition to the unfounded claims, there have been multiple attempts on her life.She made these statements while addressing thousands of Swapo Party supporters at the party’s victory celebrations held in Windhoek over the weekend. “I have heard so much misinformation about myself – ‘Netumbo is in Onandjokwe hospital,’ ‘Netumbo is in Opuwo hospital,’ and so on. I have never been to the hospital since my campaign, not even for a headache,” she stressed.Nandi-Ndaitwah said she is perplexed that “a fellow Namibian would go to such lengths to discredit [my] capabilities as president-elect”.Last week, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) suspended executive editor Anna Nicodemus following an interview with South African news channel Newzroom Afrika, during which she alleged that Nandi-Ndaitwah had collapsed twice during her presidential campaign.The president-elect dismissed these claims as misinformation spread by "desperate politicians" seeking to score points at her expense.Nicodemus&#039; comments raised doubts among some Namibians about whether Nandi-Ndaitwah was fit to effectively govern the country or complete a full term.Assassination claims Nandi-Ndaitwah also claimed on Saturday that there have been multiple attempts on her life."Apart from trying to target my life, you have also spread misinformation about my health," she said.Six years ago, Nandi-Ndaitwah, then deputy prime minister, survived a fatal car crash on the Oshivelo-Tsumeb road.Namibian Sun reported that, according to Oshikoto police, her motorcade collided head-on with a light pick-up, resulting in three fatalities.She was hospitalised in Tsumeb in a stable condition and was set to be airlifted to another facility, a senior Oshikoto police official confirmed at the time.Supporters praisedNandi-Ndaitwah thanked everyone on Saturday who supported her during the election campaign."I want to especially thank the youth for voting in large numbers and for supporting the Swapo Party. Thank you for joining your parents in backing Swapo."She described the campaign as a battlefield, with attempts to overthrow Swapo, but emphasised: "We fought".She defeated 14 other presidential candidates during last month’s presidential elections, becoming the first woman to do so.At a press conference last week where she acknowledged that her election to lead the country is one that breaks the glass ceiling for Namibian women, she nevertheless stressed: “I was not elected because I am a woman.“While recognising that I am making the door bigger for women to follow, it must be clear that [I] was elected due to the qualities and capabilities to lead the country. As a women&#039;s activist, we do not want to be wheelbarrowed – we must prove ourselves, and I am sure we have proved ourselves; hence the number of women in leadership positions increased over the years,” she said.

NNN says ill-health rumours a ‘shame’

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Namibian Sun 2025-02-19

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NNN says ill-health rumours a ‘shame’

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Namibian Sun 2025-02-19

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