Nujoma, new cabinet, sworn in

As Namibia marked the 10th anniversary of its independence on Tuesday, President Sam Nujoma was sworn in for a controversial third five-year term.

At televised ceremonies in the capital, Windhoek, attended by South African President Thabo Mbeki and several other visiting heads of state, members of a new cabinet named at the weekend were also sworn in following the sweeping victory in last December’s elections of Nujoma’s ruling South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO).

Among the dignitaries was the former Finnish president, Martti Ahtisaari, who helped steer Namibia to independence from South Africa in 1990 when he oversaw one of the most successful peacekeeping operations of the United Nations. Ahtisaari said that he was “delighted” to be back in Namibia to see the achievements made over the last 10 years.

In his inauguration address, Nujoma, 70, said: “The main objectives over the next five years for my government will be to accelerate the process of job creation by increasing support for small and medium scale enterprises.” Nujoma, who has been in power since independence, also said his government had to tackle the spread of HIV/AIDS, unemployment, and access to better health care, education, water and electricity.

Nujoma sought a controversial third term after his party removed a two-term limit from the constitution last year. In December he won 77 percent of the votes in the presidential race.

SWAPO won 76 percent of the parliamentary seats, well above the two-thirds majority needed to change the constitution.

“The main goal of my government is for Namibians to achieve the standard of living comparable to that of developed countries by the year 2030,” Nujoma said.

Analysts in Namibia told IRIN that the costly deployment of Namibian troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the decision last November to allow neighbouring Angola to use Namibian border bases to launch attacks against UNITA rebels had undermined confidence in Nujoma’s government.