EDITORIAL: Pohamba’s rebuke of Angola long overdue
Last week, former president Hifikepunye Pohamba did something rare among African statesmen: he spoke the uncomfortable truth. In an unexpected departure from the silent brotherhood of heads of state, he publicly called out Angola for its failure to protect its citizens – children who now flood into Namibia, not for opportunity, but to herd cattle or beg on the streets of our cities.
It was a moment of clarity, piercing through the suffocating decorum that so often paralyses African diplomacy.
For too long, African leaders have operated under an unwritten pact – never criticise, never confront. They smile for cameras, embrace for the press, and turn a blind eye to each other’s failings. This toxic camaraderie has enabled corruption, repression and mass neglect to flourish across the continent. Silence, in the face of suffering, is not diplomacy. It is cowardice.
Pohamba’s comments struck a nerve precisely because they broke this pattern. He dared to ask the necessary question: did President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah raise the plight of these vulnerable children when she recently met with Angola’s president João Lourenço in Luanda? Or did she, like so many before her, choose the safer path of pleasantries and photo ops?
There must be space for truth in these diplomatic chambers. Not every meeting can end with a toast. Sometimes, the most honourable thing a leader can do is challenge a peer – not to humiliate, but to uphold the basic dignity of African citizens.
Still, let’s not forget: Pohamba’s newfound candour would have rung louder had it come during his presidency when men like Robert Mugabe sank their countries into repression and economic ruin.
Africa deserves leadership rooted in truth, not timid diplomacy. Our people do not need more hugs between presidents. They need action.
It was a moment of clarity, piercing through the suffocating decorum that so often paralyses African diplomacy.
For too long, African leaders have operated under an unwritten pact – never criticise, never confront. They smile for cameras, embrace for the press, and turn a blind eye to each other’s failings. This toxic camaraderie has enabled corruption, repression and mass neglect to flourish across the continent. Silence, in the face of suffering, is not diplomacy. It is cowardice.
Pohamba’s comments struck a nerve precisely because they broke this pattern. He dared to ask the necessary question: did President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah raise the plight of these vulnerable children when she recently met with Angola’s president João Lourenço in Luanda? Or did she, like so many before her, choose the safer path of pleasantries and photo ops?
There must be space for truth in these diplomatic chambers. Not every meeting can end with a toast. Sometimes, the most honourable thing a leader can do is challenge a peer – not to humiliate, but to uphold the basic dignity of African citizens.
Still, let’s not forget: Pohamba’s newfound candour would have rung louder had it come during his presidency when men like Robert Mugabe sank their countries into repression and economic ruin.
Africa deserves leadership rooted in truth, not timid diplomacy. Our people do not need more hugs between presidents. They need action.
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Namibian Sun
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