Pretoria, April 20, 2023 – Namibian President Hage Geingob has announced during a state visit to South Africa that he will be stepping down from his position in less than two years, on March 21, 2025. Speaking to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Thursday, Geingob revealed that his term as the president of Namibia was coming to an end, citing his commitment to honoring the social contract with his people.
Geingob stated, “My term as the president of the Republic of Namibia, the land of the brave, is coming to an end in 22 months’ time, on March 21, 2025. When I was saying that in some African countries, they were not happy. They asked why do I announce and why don’t I go and do it quietly?” Geingob’s announcement was met with surprise by some, as it is not common for African leaders to publicly announce their plans to step down.
Geingob, who is also the incumbent Southern African Development Community (SADC) Chair on Politics, Defense, and Security Cooperation, used the opportunity to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation with President Ramaphosa. The two leaders signed a tourism memorandum of understanding during the state visit, with the aim of strengthening economic cooperation and exploring trade and investment opportunities between Namibia and South Africa.
During their official talks, Geingob and Ramaphosa exchanged views on various areas of cooperation and evaluated progress in the implementation of decisions and legal instruments. They paid particular attention to the status of trade between the two countries, acknowledging that despite being each other’s largest trading partners in the region, there is room for further mutual benefit in this regard.
The two presidents also discussed regional issues, including the economic, political, and security situations in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Lesotho, and the Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique. They expressed their support for ongoing regional efforts to resolve the long-standing conflict in the Eastern DRC and called for effective coordination of the Luanda and Nairobi processes, with adherence to resultant commitments by all parties.
Geingob and Ramaphosa also expressed concern over the mounting civilian deaths in Sudan and called on all parties to the conflict to respect human life and find amicable solutions to their differences. They reiterated their support for the full implementation of the final declaration on Western Sahara, including the holding of free and fair elections, and reaffirmed their solidarity with the people of Palestine.
Furthermore, the two leaders discussed the urgent need for reform of the United Nations Security Council, with Geingob and Ramaphosa reaffirming their countries’ position that its outdated composition and lack of permanent representation for Africa are unsustainable. They called on the international community to contribute to the immediate de-escalation of the war in Ukraine and avoid taking further counterproductive measures that may worsen the situation.
Geingob concluded his announcement by stating, “I am very happily announcing that my term and social contract with my people is ending very soon.” While Geingob still has two more years to go as Namibia’s president, his decision to publicly announce his plans to step down has raised eyebrows and sparked discussions about leadership transitions in African countries. As the clock ticks down to March 21, 2025, Namibia and the international community will be watching closely to see how Geingob’s decision will impact the country’s political landscape.
