First Lady of the Republic of Namibia
Sustjie Mbumba is a qualified Oral Health and Dental Therapist. She studied in Jamaica while in exile. She joined the Ministry of Health and Social Services after Independence and was instrumental in the development of the National AIDS Policy Framework and the
implementation of the National AIDS Control Programme. Madame Mbumba has vastexperience in capacity building and training of Health workers and community-based groups across Namibia and was a strong advocate for the promotion of Oral Health.
Madam Mbumba spent twelve years of her young and adult life in exile, mainly in Angola where she participated in the liberation struggle for the Independence of Namibia. In the camps, she provided dental care for refugees and took care of Namibian children whose parents were either studying abroad, fighting at the war front or were orphaned. She returned to Namibia in 1989 and took part in the United Nations supervised elections which ushered in Namibia’s independence.
Madam Mbumba served on the boards of various non-governmental organizations that assist vulnerable and unemployed people, particularly women. These include the Ngeno Nakamhela Foundation which is working with the community of Kalkfeld in Odjozondjupa Region to improve the living conditions of communities. In addition, she served as the director of Women at Work, a non-profit organisation providing training to marginalised women.
Madam Mbumba is passionate about community development and the upliftment of vulnerable groups and that is evident in the project she has initiated at the Mururani Combined School in the Kavango East Region to refurbish the school hostel and kitchen area to assist
vulnerable learners living far from school. She is also an avid farmer.
Madame Sustjie Mbumba is the fourth First Lady of the Republic of Namibia. In 2024, she effectively took over the Presidency of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD).
