By Hilda Basson-Namundjebo
The Pohamba family home sat quietly on a rise in Eros, on Saffier Street, where the hill lifts just enough to give the house a sense of calm separation from the city below. The house felt calm, much like the lady of the manor.
And this is where I made my acquaintance with Mee Penehupifo Pohamba in early 2005, shortly before she became First Lady following President Pohamba’s election in November 2004 and subsequent inauguration in March 2005.
The assignment was one of a kind – organise the incoming First Lady’s inaugural dinner while simultaneously thanking the outgoing First Lady Mrs Nujoma; a request facilitated by Honourable Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah, then serving as Minister of Women Affairs and Child Welfare.
What began as a professional engagement grew into a relationship defined by trust, purpose, and a shared concern for the wellbeing of Namibian girls.
In those early years, I organised her Christmas outreach programmes and it was during one of these events that we discovered something quietly devastating: that many girls were missing school because they did not have sanitary pads. It was not a policy issue; it was a dignity issue. And it was happening in silence.
Madam Pohamba responded with calm resolve. Her leadership style was never loud, but always firm. She encouraged us to find a practical solution, and that encouragement led to an initiative supported by Pick ‘n Pay and delivered through NamPost Courier; a simple, effective system to distribute sanitary pads to schools across the country.
The initiative was formally introduced in mid-2007 at the Ella du Plessis Senior Secondary School in Khomasdal, marking one of Namibia’s earliest organised efforts to address menstrual poverty, long before the issue entered national policy debates.
This is the Penehupifo Pohamba I knew: a woman who led without spectacle, who understood that dignity is not an abstract concept but a daily experience. Her influence was quiet, but its impact was lasting – shaping spaces, not headlines.
She strengthened girls, not platforms. And reminded us that leadership is often measured not by what is said, but by what is quietly made possible.
Not so long ago, I visited her and took her flowers. She was frail, yes, but still carried the kind of beauty that does not fade. A beauty made of gentleness, steadiness, and a life lived in service. Even in her frailty, she remained the epitome of grace.
As Namibia reflects on her life and contribution, and we prepare to lay her to rest, I pause to honour her as a First Lady who embodied calm authority, compassion, and deep humanity.
A woman who taught us that national service can be gentle and still powerful; that compassion can be impactful and that protecting the dignity of girls is a form of nation building.
This week, I pay tribute to her legacy and to the countless girls whose futures were strengthened because she cared enough to act.
May God rest your soul in peace !
*Hilda is a business leader, public speaker and a seasoned broadcast journalist. Founder of the national brand and organisation Team Namibia, Hilda believes her purpose is to impact the world with kindness, one engagement at a time
