The old saying that the apple does not fall far from the tree holds true for Herbert Diergaardt and Andrew Matjila Junior, both of whom decided to get involved in politics as their fathers did.

The two are parliamentary candidates for the opposition Republican Party of Namibia. Party president Henk Mudge unveiled them along with other candidates to the media on Monday, ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections on 27 November 2024.

Andrew and Herbert are ranked 15th and 16th on the party list.

Andrew is the son of Andrew Matjila, a veteran politician and one of the few remaining Constituent Assembly members.

His father was one of the first members of the National Assembly, serving under the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance, which was the precursor to the current Popular Democratic Movement.

“Watching my father as a young boy, I was always impressed by what he was contributing to society. And it happened. Actually, I was always interested in politics. A few months ago, I spoke to my father about my desire to contribute to the country… I told him that this was the party I wanted to join, and he said, ‘You are your own man now; I can no longer tell you what to do.’ So he gave me his full support,” Andrew told Nampa on Monday.

Andrew, an entrepreneur, expressed his deep concern for issues such as youth unemployment, education, and decent housing.

“Those are the main things that I am concerned about. People need proper housing. People are living in shacks, and we cannot continue to blame apartheid after 34 years,” he said.

His father served as the Minister of Education and Central Personnel in the transitional government of national unity from 1985 to 1989.

“I want my father to be remembered as the man who delivered what he said he would deliver. We can look at history; when he was the minister of education, children got school books on time; everything was done on time. And that’s what I want him to be remembered for—the contribution he made to the country; it was positive,” Andrew said in defence of his father’s legacy.

Herbert stated that his decision to enter politics was also influenced by his father, Reggie Diergaardt, a seasoned politician and lawmaker.

His father, a former member of the Constituent Assembly, is currently a member of the National Assembly, representing the Popular Democratic Movement.

Diergaardt Senior also served as deputy minister of trade and industry, as well as deputy minister of youth and sport, during the early 1990s under the Swapo Party government.

“My father has always worked with the youth and always invested in people. He understands that, as a country, we need to work together to achieve our objectives, which are freedom and decent living conditions for all of us,” Herbert said about his father.

“For me, it was very important to carry forth his legacy and to do everything possible in order to get our country to a place where it rightfully should be and to help people understand how important their vote is and the role each Namibian plays in getting to where we all want to be.”

He said his joining the RP was motivated by the party leadership, which does not aspire to positions or status. “They are there because they are genuinely worried about the state of the country and actually have plans that, if put in place, can turn things around for Namibia,” said Herbert.

He said his father was always an honourable man who detested corruption. “There was never corruption around him. There were never any such stories of taking this or that for his own benefit.

“It was never about himself, but always about the people, and that’s what our leaders need to understand—when you are the leader of the country, you are not the boss, but a servant,” he said.