Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has become the first Namibian to be conferred the Order of Simon of Cyrene by the Anglican Church in Southern Africa and Namibia.

Incepted in 1960, the Order of Simon of Cyrene is the highest award given by the Anglican Church of Southern Africa in recognition of those who have made outstanding contributions to society.

So far, the Anglican Church of South Africa has awarded 81 recipients, with Simon of the Cyrene Order and Nandi-Ndaitwah being the first in Namibia.

Nandi-Ndaitwah was described as a selfless being who dedicated her life to the Namibian people.

Anglican Church in Namibia Bishop Patrick Djuulume described Nandi-Ndaitwah as Namibia's Simon of Cyrene, who deserves an award because of her devotion both spiritually and to community affairs.

"Her representation of women at the United Nations, being women parliamentarians in Africa, and as a president of NANA, she has initiated decisions at the UN Security Council on women and peace. That idea led to the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which was adopted by the Security Council on October 31, 2000. She devoted her time to spiritual, political, community, and other activities."

Nandi-Ndaitwah, in the company of her husband, received the award as a member of Simon of Cyrene, which was among others witnessed by senior government officials and church leaders.

In her acceptance speech, Nandi-Ndaitwah says she is aware of the responsibility that comes with the award.

However, she is ready to continue serving the people of Namibia.

"I believe that as I accept this award I am mindful of the challenge, particularly in Philip, where it says, "He who begins the good work in me shall carry it on to completion and until the day of Jesus Christ. So, therefore, as I accepted this award, I was mindful of the challenges we are facing as a country, namely unemployment, poverty, gender-based violence, poor service delivery, and corruption, among other things."

She said the award serves as a reminder to everyone to carry out their responsibilities for the betterment of Namibia and its people. 

The deputy premier urged Namibians to pray and save the country from confusion and bad morale.