A Legal Aid senior lawyer has come under fire after she tweeted tribal slurs in which she was attributing violence to the Damara people.

Lawyer Eva Maria Nangolo on Sunday posted a tweet to her over 1,600 followers, saying that the ‘Horokhoes’ festival hosted by the Damara women over the weekend overshadowed the violence of breaking bottles, stabbing with knives, and insults the tribe is known for.

"For once, the Damara people are doing something beautiful," her tweet starts.

Lawyer Kadhila Amoomo took to social media to condemn his colleagues' actions, saying, "The Damara people have suffered negative stereotypes for a very long time. After their wonderful attributes have been diminished. Their intelligence, wonderful cuisine, colorful culture, tenacity, frugal lifestyle, talent in music and sport, and even the president's identity. Gone!" wrote the lawyer.

Former Windhoek mayor and politician Sade Gawa!Nas who also took part in the ‘Horokhoes’  weekend event, accused Nangolo of ignorance.

Gawa!Nas said, "Her ignorance is perpetuating a continuous narrative that, as Damara, we are prone to extreme violence. You cannot, especially as someone who holds high regard as a senior legal officer, make such statements and not be held accountable for uttering such nonsense."

The Ministry of Justice has since distanced itself from the social media post made by its employee, saying it learned of the incident with deep regret.

The spokesperson at the Ministry of Justice, Edmund ||Khoaseb, says the ministry stands for the promotion, protection, and fulfillment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Namibian people, especially the rights of non-discrimination, dignity, and equality.

During the ‘Horokhoes’ festival, Damara women from across the country showcase different designs of the traditional Damara dress and showcase the characteristics of a Damara woman.

Damara women in Windhoek staged their dress on Saturday, while the women of Swakopmund are expected to showcase their design of the dress on April 29.

Eva Maria Nangolo said she would give a comment after she was done filling out court papers.

Her post remained up on her Twitter account at the time of posting this story.