Hifikepunye Pohamba

Hifikepunye Pohamba (2014)

Hifikepunye Pohamba (2009)

Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba (born August 18, 1935 in Okanghudi , Ohangwena , South West Africa , today Namibia ) is a Namibian politician. Pohamba was President of Namibia from March 21, 2005 to March 21, 2015 .

Life

Pohamba, who actually wanted to withdraw from politics and raise cattle on his farm, was run as a presidential candidate at the request of the incumbent President Nujoma . He won the 2004 presidential election in Namibia with 76.4% of the vote.

From 1947 to 1954 he attended the “Anglican Holy Cross” mission school in Onamunama , Ovamboland. In 1959 he was one of the founding members of the SWAPO (South-West Africa People's Organization) liberation movement directed against the South African occupation forces. In 1961 Pohamba went into exile. He spent the following years in Tanzania and Angola . From 1964 to 1978 he was a SWAPO representative in various African countries. He studied political science from 1981 to 1982 at the University of Friendship of Nations in Moscow , USSR . From 1975 to 1989 he was SWAPO's secretary for financial matters. He served as SWAPO's campaign commissioner from 1989 to 1990, serving President Nujoma as Minister of Internal Affairs from 1990 to 1995, Minister of Fisheries from 1995 to 1998, Minister without Portfolio from 1998 to 2000, and Minister of Land Affairs from 2001 to 2005 . In addition, he was SWAPO General Secretary from 1997 to 2002 and SWAPO Vice-President from 2002 to 2007, after which he replaced Nujoma as party president. This refutes speculations about Nujoma's renewed candidacy for the office of President, as he would have to be re-elected as party president in accordance with the practice.

Pohamba has been married to Penehupifo Pohamba (nee Hasho) since 1983 and has six children. His wife is the widow of a SWAPO fighter who brought three children into their marriage to him.

Awards

• 2010 FANRPAN Food Security Policy Leadership Award
• 2011 Top 5 Annual African Leaders' Scorecard
• 2014 Order of the Lion ; highest honor in Swaziland
• 2015 Prize for Achievement in African Leadership from the Mo Ibrahim Foundation

See also

• Cabinet Pohamba I.
• Cabinet Pohamba II

Web links

Commons : Hifikepunye Pohamba  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Entry about Hifikepunye Pohamba in the personal database of the Namibia Institute for Democracy ( Memento from November 23, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
• Afrikaman: biography Pohamba

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Joe Pütz, Heidi von Egidy, Perri Caplan: Namibia Handbook and Political Who's Who . Windhoek 1989, ISBN 0-620-14172-7 , p. 284
2. ^ Pohamba Ranked Fifth Best in Africa, The Namibian on allAfrica.com, January 5, 2011. Accessed March 14, 2011