Lending Credibility Without Demanding Accountability: Why Namibia’s Silence in Tanzania Cannot Be Masked by a Judicial Secondment
- Aug 5
- 1 min read
Six weeks ago, we called on President Nandi-Ndaitwah to break the government's silence on the incarceration of opposition leader Tundu Lissu and the political violence following Tanzania’s October 2025 general election. The response from Windhoek has not been a clear diplomatic statement on human rights, but the secondment of Deputy Chief Justice Petrus Damaseb to a Tanzanian commission of inquiry.
While Justice Damaseb’s competence and integrity as one of Namibia’s finest jurists are beyond question, his nomination is being used to supply international credibility to a process that lacks clear terms of reference. Members of this commission will be sworn in on a date chosen by the Tanzanian government before its mandate, terms of reference, or scope of work are even made public. No court or advocate in Namibia would accept a brief on such terms.
Namibia is lending its highest judicial standing to an inquiry without asking whether it can compel the police or army to testify, protect witnesses, or guarantee full publication of its findings. True solidarity with the people of Tanzania means speaking out against arbitrary detention and injustice, not standing in quiet endorsement while a photograph is taken.
Read the full media release issued by our Shadow Minister of International Relations and Trade, Ptr. Rodney Cloete (MP).
Diplomatic silence in the face of accountability gaps doesn't just weaken bilateral trust — it actively undermines the regional governance frameworks that Tanzania and its partners depend on for credible, rule-based cooperation. Leaders navigating those complex policy dynamics are drawn to a public policy management seminar & course for executives in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — where institutional integrity, diplomatic accountability, and evidence-based governance are explored with genuine professional depth.